


Meerkat Day

by delightful_fear



Series: Meerkat Day [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Never Met, Boulder CO, Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day AU, Lawyers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:50:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7919410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delightful_fear/pseuds/delightful_fear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Groundhog Day AU.  Sebastian & Kurt are complete opposites, and being thrown together for a big case, when the universe throws a wrench into the works.  Can Sebastian overcome the time loop he's stuck in, and come out the other side smiling?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was love at first sight. 

Seb's gaze travelled over the most perfect ass he'd ever seen, encased in well-tailored pinstripe trousers. 

The owner of the fantastic ass must have felt Seb's attention, as he slowly straightened from leaning over Wyatt's desk, turning to give Seb a haughty look of disapproval. 

Letting his eyes travel from the top of the man's perfectly coiffed chestnut hair, past flashing glasz eyes, pale perfect skin, a full mouth and down a slim, fit body, Seb's grin widened. The rest of him was almost as amazing as his perfect ass. 

Stepping closer, Seb held out his hand. "Hello, I love you, Won't you tell me your name?" He gave his most charming smile, pouring it on. His eyes made no secret of his appreciation. 

"Sebastian, this is our jury selection consultant, Kurt Hummel. He'll be working with you on the Zizes case." Wyatt stood, giving Seb a warning look before turning to Kurt, his manner apologetic. "You'll have to excuse Sebastian. We are lenient on his behavior since he's such an asset to the firm."

Kurt gave Seb an assessing glance, his bearing proud. Seb almost felt like squirming uncomfortably under his thorough look, feeling like Kurt saw right into him. Saw everything. And found him lacking. 

"It is good to finally meet you, Sebastian. Your reputation in legal circles is quite impressive." Kurt held out his hand, shaking Seb's with firm warmth. His behavior was professional, but Seb could tell by his cool, dismissive glance that he was not personally interested in him at all. 

But that didn't stop Seb from smirking as he turned to head into his office. They would be working on this case and likely others in the future, if things went well. Men like Kurt always acted like that when they first met Seb. But it only took a bad day, a bad date, something that shook their confidence, and suddenly they weren't so quick to turn down Seb's offer for a drink or two after work. A couple drinks they could blame later for ending up naked in Seb's bed for the night, as carnally enthusiastic as a sailor on leave. A night to get down and dirty, have the nasty, hot sex they wouldn't let themselves have with their proper, 'take home for Sunday dinner' boyfriends.

Seb would bide his time and wait. 

\---

An hour later, Seb was sipping an Americano as he looked across the large boardroom table. Usually, these firm meetings were a total bore, but he was luckily sitting with an interesting view. Kurt Hummel.

He really was a good looking man, so collected and following the meeting attentively, making notes on his tablet occasionally. Those stormy blue eyes often flicked with slight annoyance towards Seb, catching him staring, unashamed, before flicking away with a small eye roll.

“Sebastian, you are meeting later today with your client for the challenge case?” The managing partner’s voice broke Seb out of his reverie. 

Turning to face the head of the table, Seb straightened in his chair, and nodded to the man with salt and pepper hair. “Yes, George. Just the initial meeting with her.”

George nodded, making a note on his agenda. “Please take our new jury selection consultant with you. We’d like to have him on board right from the start.”

Seb was a little surprised at that, but gave a quick nod in response. The meeting went onto the next agenda item.

\---

As Seb headed back to his office after the meeting, Kurt caught up with him. “When is our meeting scheduled?” 

Reaching the door of the loaner office he used when he was working at this branch, Seb paused, turning towards Kurt. “The meeting is at two pm. But you might as well handle it on your own.”

Kurt’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, why is that?” 

“Surely you can take her background and get her story of the case. This is just a quick meeting to set the groundwork for later meetings when we will delve deeper. Email me a copy of your notes afterwards.” Pulling out a business card, Seb slid it into the breast pocket of Kurt’s suit jacket. It had all his contact information on it.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt leaned against the door jam. “You have somewhere more important to be than meeting with a client of possibly your biggest case ever?”

“Obviously.” Seb smirked, and closed his office door slowly in Kurt’s unimpressed face.

\---

“That was so fucking fantastic.” The limber twenty-something twink was grinning widely as he rolled away from Seb, grabbing some tissues from the bedside table to mop up his stomach. 

Seb cleaned up, and stretched out beside Mark (or was it Matt?), smiling when the younger man curled up against his chest. After-sex cuddling was always welcome. Who needed to be in a messy relationship when it was so easy to arrange for hook-ups online? It just took some flirty messages, a picture of his bare abs, and meeting in a public space in case the guy turned out worse than expected. After a coffee or a drink, it never seemed difficult to get the man of the hour somewhere private for some naked fun.

\---

Matt (or was it Mark?) left soon after, and Seb had a quick shower. Glancing at his phone, Seb saw that a winter storm warning had gone out, and groaned. Luckily, his work at the Boulder branch was done for now, and he could head back to Denver immediately and hopefully avoid the bad weather.

Seb was soon in his BMW, heading on the highway. The defroster was blasting, the windshield wipers going at the top speed, but it wasn’t helping with the visibility against the blowing snow swirling around. He was only on the highway for ten minutes, going about half the normal highway speed, when flashing lights showed up ahead, and a sea of red brake lights before him from all the stopped cars. Groaning, Seb leaned back against his headrest. Not moving at all now, he checked his phone and saw the highway had been closed due to the storm. _Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck._

It was three hours before he was able to get out of the traffic snarl and drive back to Boulder in the poor weather. Luckily, he’d called back to the hotel and extended his stay for another night as soon as he found out the highway was closed. He was tired and frustrated when he got into the room. After a long hot shower to declench his shoulders and back from driving in the bad weather, he ordered up a meal from room service, and crashed in bed not long after.

\---

Waking up at his normal time, Seb felt well rested, and decided he might as well go into the office until the highway was opened again. Hopping into a cab, it didn’t look like Boulder was showing many signs of the storm. The snow ploughs must have been out in the wee hours of the morning. 

The first sight that greeted Seb in the office was Kurt’s perfect ass, again displayed so well as he bent over Wyatt’s desk in deep conversation. 

Kurt must have felt Seb's attention, as he slowly straightened up, turning to give Seb his haughty look of disapproval. 

Stepping closer, Seb chuckled at the repeat of their meeting the day before. With a smirk, he held out his hand. "Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?" Repetition humor. 

"Sebastian, this is our jury selection consultant, Kurt Hummel. He'll be working with you on the Zizes case." Wyatt stood, giving Seb a warning look before turning to Kurt, his manner apologetic. "You'll have to excuse Sebastian. We are lenient on his behavior since he's such an asset to the firm."

Kurt gave Seb an assessing glance, his bearing proud. "It is good to finally meet you, Sebastian. Your reputation in legal circles is quite impressive." Kurt held out his hand, shaking Seb's with firm warmth. His behavior was professional, but Seb took in his cool, dismissive glance. 

And his clasp slackened, the smirk sliding off Seb’s face. There was no returning smile from Kurt or Wyatt. No knowing nod towards carrying on Seb’s joke of repeating what they had said the day before. They were both sincere and clear eyed.

Seb dropped Kurt’s hand, giving a quick nod in response to whatever Kurt had just said. His mind was whirling, and he felt a bit short of breath. Backing away, Seb started down the hall to his borrowed office.

“Don’t forget the ten o’clock meeting, Sebastian.” Wyatt called after him, as Seb spun around and escaped.

\---

Seb looked around, from face to face, at the meeting, trying to look normal. He had spent the time in his office, on his phone, on his computer. And here he sat, with twenty legal colleagues, repeating yesterday’s meeting word for word.

He couldn’t deny what was happening. _Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._ Wasn’t that how the old saying went? It was totally ridiculous. Incredible. Crazy. Was this what happened when you went crazy?

After the meeting, Kurt caught up to him, just like he had the day before. And Seb played his role, repeating his words to get out of the client meeting. Before it had been for a hook-up. Now it was to have more time to think. To figure out if there was any other possible explanation for what was happening.

But back in his hotel room, searching on his laptop, phoning friends, talking to the staff, getting the newspaper. Everything said the same thing. 

Somehow, someway…the day had repeated. It was February 2nd again. 

He didn’t even bother getting in his car when he saw the same storm warnings on his phone. He skipped to the last thing he’d done the night before, ordering up a hot meal and a bottle of red.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: The idea for this Kurtbastian story has been rattling around my head for a while now. Here’s hoping it all goes well. ;)

-This will be loosely based on the 1993 movie ‘Groundhog Day’, starring Bill Murray & Andie McDowell. It’s one of the best comedies EVER, so if you haven’t seen it, please do so immediately. It’s won’t be a retelling of that story with Kurt & Seb slipped in though. I'll borrow some of the film's ideas, but will be telling a Kurtbastian story.

\- That said, you don't need to have seen the movie to understand this fic.

-I'll add tags as I go.

 _-Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._ -This is a quote from Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle.


	2. Chapter 2

As Seb drove back into town, he felt like screaming. Never before had he felt so trapped and powerless. But everything that he'd experienced the past few days had shown him one thing. He wasn't going to be able to leave Boulder. 

As he headed back towards his hotel, a cloud shifted and the sun shone onto the store to his left, and he noticed a little shop, purple curvy letters on the sign spelling out "Atlantis Unicorn". Seb chuckled at the corny name, but then shrugged and parked on the street nearby. He had no other ideas for today.

The front window proudly displayed a patchwork quilt made out of sari fabric, with a unicorn featured in the center. In front of that backdrop, tarot cards, small sculptures of dragons and Hindi deities, crystals and New Age books were laid out. 

The scent of sandalwood incense was almost overpowering, and Seb tried to keep a neutral expression as he closed the shop door behind him, a string of bells jostled by the door announcing his arrival. He appeared to be the only customer in the place. 

The woman behind the counter had waist length grey hair, no make-up, and a dark purple long dress. "Welcome to Atlantis Unicorn." Her intelligent, dark brown eyes scanned over Seb, and he could see she knew he wasn't their normal type of customer.

Seb gave her his friendly, 'look, I'm harmless' smile. "Hi...um, I've never been in your store before but I wonder if you could help me." 

The woman nodded, her expression open. "What are you looking for?"

Seb sighed, having a hard time thinking of how to explain his situation. "Well, I'm waking up every day, and it's the same day. Is there something I could get here to help with that?" It sounded ludicrous to his own ears.

The older woman's eyebrows rose slightly, and she looked at Seb with renewed interest. "Are you saying you are stuck in a rut? Everyday seems like the same day?"

Shaking his head, Seb fumbled to find the right words. "No, I literally wake up every day and it's February 2nd again. I'm stuck on the same day. I know it sounds crazy," Seb chuckled, grinning wryly as he ran a hand through his hair, "but the psychiatrists tell me I'm mentally stable."

Her brown eyes widened slightly, and she gave a firm nod. "Hmmm...I see. I'll make us some tea and we can see what we can do then."

It was a relief to talk to someone about this, someone who didn't look at him strangely afterwards. Someone who knew the world worked in mysterious ways sometimes. Seb could feel a curl of hope, as he watched the woman move to a curtained-off kitchenette area of the store and fill up an electric kettle. 

She came out with a couple steaming mugs a few minutes later, and motioned towards the back corner of the store. Seb turned that direction and saw a couple plush armchairs tucked away by a sunny window. 

Taking a mug, he sat down. The warm mug felt good in his hands and it had an interesting aroma. He took a small sip and smiled in appreciation. 

"It's my own blend. I like the bite of black tea with rose hips and spices." She nodded as she settled into her chair. "I'm Marjorie."

Nodding, Seb held out his hand to her. "Sebastian."

"So, tell me what you can, Sebastian." Marjorie's eyes were calm and accepting as Seb described what had happened the last few days. He didn't hold anything back.

She nodded when he wound down, seemingly lost in her thoughts. It was hard for Seb to sit still, sipping his tea, in the corner of this quiet store. It was a weekday afternoon, obviously a quiet time of day for business, and he was happy for the privacy to discuss this.

"So, you say you've tried to escape the city in every direction, and can't get more than ten miles out before there is road construction, or a landslide being cleared away, or something else....hmmmm..." She tapped her long fingers against the mug. "And similar problems trying to leave by plane or train?"

Seb nodded. "My alarm resets to when I normally wake up, no matter when I set it, and most of the early commuter trips are gone by the time I get there. Everything else is tied up with mechanical issues or sold out. Later in the day, everything is delayed or cancelled due to the blizzard."

"Hmmm... I see... Well, something obviously wants you to stay in town." Marjorie nodded, her fingers now playing with a long braid of hair along one side of her face. 

Biting his lip, Seb hesitated before speaking again. "It is possible that I've been...cursed...or something like that?"

Marjorie gave him a little grin, her eyes sliding over him quickly. "No, I don't get a feeling of anything bad like that clinging to you." She patted his hand where it clutched the arm of his chair. "I would have felt it when we shook hands."

She spoke a matter of factly, like someone mentioning curses was an everyday thing. Maybe it was in her line of work. Seb sighed to himself, amazed that he was sitting in a shop like this, asking for advice. The last few days had been such a scramble to try to make sense of what was happening to him. 

His first instinct had been to leave Boulder. If he could just leave, everything would be normal again. He had exhausted every option, the way he was blocked in every direction making him feel more and more powerless against whatever this was. 

After several futile days of trying to escape, he had been questioning his sanity. It was ridiculous that every road out of town had closures, wasn't it? He had gone to a psychiatric center, told his story to a doctor there, and had every test done. The doctor had pronounced that he wasn't showing signs of any defined psychiatric disorder, like schizophrenia, so no medication was prescribed. The doctor said he could come back for therapy next week. Seb hadn't bothered to make an appointment.

Setting down her mug, Marjorie got up and wandered around the shop, picking up items here and there. Seb got up too, watching her as she pondered each item before collecting it. 

Going back to the counter, she set the items down. "I think you will need to find the answer to this within you, Sebastian. But here are some things that may help you." She picked up a small bundle of dried leaves. "Many indigenous people use the smoke of herbs in a smudging ritual. Sage is used to evacuate the negative energies, spirits and influences, while the sweet grass will gather new and positive energies. Put this in the shell and light it, then gently blow out the flame so that the herbs continue to smolder."

Seb tried to keep a respectful expression as he listened to her instructions.

"Then you will waft the smoke over you and around your room, waving it into all the corners, thinking the whole time on what you want." Marjorie set the sage bundle back onto the large abalone shell. 

Picking up a polished rock, she passed it to Seb. "This is called Bloodstone. It is said to be a powerful healing stone, and can remove energy blockages and negative energy. Carry it with you, touch it often, focus on what you want." 

Seb turned the flat oval rock over in his hands, feeling the smooth, polished surface. The stone was a dark green, with irregular flecks of red. He was a skeptic, but after this last week, he wasn't so quick to dismiss things. "So, I wave the smoke around, rub a rock and think real hard? That's it? No virgin sacrifices or anything?" 

Marjorie cackled at that. "Good luck finding a virgin of adult age these days." She moved over to a bookshelf, taking a purple paperback off the shelf. "You might not be ready for this yet, and it might not really apply in your situation...Damn. The owner of this store is more versed in eastern religions than I am, but she's away on a Reiki course in the Appalachians this week." 

Shrugging, Seb bought it all and felt a little foolish as he headed back to the car, clutching the bag with a unicorn on the outside.

\---

After going out to a restaurant for a steak dinner and a little too much red wine, Seb came back to the hotel room, and his eyes fell on the unicorn adorned plastic bag. With a giggle, he dumped out the contents onto the coffee table.

Picking up the bloodstone, Seb looked at it critically. It just looked like an ordinary polished rock. It didn’t glow or pulsate or hum. What had that store lady said to do with it? Was he supposed to rub it over his chakras or something? Was there a certain chant he was supposed to do with it? His mind was a little fuzzy. 

Laying back on the sofa, Seb closed his eyes and rubbed the cool, smooth stone over his face, chanting ‘Om’ in a low voice. After a few minutes, he got up. He was pretty sure the stone was to draw out negative energies, and that the lady had mentioned touching it often. Setting the stone down, Seb stripped down to his boxer briefs, and laid back down. There, now he could rub the stone over more of his skin. Weren’t the chakras in a line down the center of his body? 

Starting with the middle of his forehead, Seb rubbed the stone in little circles as he chanted, breathing in and out slow and steady. After a few minutes, he moved the stone to his collarbone, then the center of his chest, his belly button, and right above his brief's waistband. 

Opening his eyes, Seb looked around, trying to see if there was any perceptible change to the hotel room, or the air, or the energy around him. He sighed, not really noticing anything different. He was getting a little sleepy, and knew as soon as he fell asleep, the room would reset to how it was every morning now. All his purchases would disappear, and he’d wake up in the bed, even if he fell asleep on the sofa. 

Reaching over, Seb picked up the bundle of herbs and the sea shell. What had Marjorie said about this again? Rubbing his eyes, Seb got up to get some matches out of his suitcase. Wasn’t there a lot of smoke wafting and waving around? Seb looked up at the ceiling, at the smoke detector. He didn’t want to spoil the metaphysical mood with loud beeping noises. 

Getting up on a chair, Seb took a closer look at the smoke detector and could see it was hard wired in, so he couldn’t take it down. Looking down, he grabbed the unicorn plastic bag, and wrapped it around the smoke detector, tying a knot in the top edge of the bag to make it fit snugly. There, that should block the smoke from getting to the detector while he did his ritual.

Feeling proud of himself, Seb lit the herbs and blew out the flame once the bundle was burning steadily. The dried herbs smoked a lot, the scented white smoke easily visible. Experimentally, Seb waved a hand through the smoke, and after playing around a little, found he was pretty good at directing it. Feeling a little silly, Seb smirked to himself as he tried to think of sending away bad energies and drawing positive ones to him, directing the smoke over his body, and then walking around the perimeter of the room to waft the smoke in all the dark corners. 

The room was a bit hazy with smoke, and most of the herb bundle burnt away by the time he finished circling the space. He paused near the doorway, and wafted a lot of smoke over it. Did ‘energies’ come and go through doors like people did? He was extra diligent to cover it well, just in case.

A few moments into doing this, Seb almost dropped the herb bundle when a piercing siren sounded from the hallway. _Oh shit! The hallway smoke detector!_

Running over to the coffee table, Seb pushed the smoldering end of the herbs against the sea shell. It kept smoking, so he eventually grabbed the shell and put it in the bathroom sink, running cold water over the herbs until the smoke stopped. 

The room was still a bit hazy, and the hallway fire alarm was still shrieking. Looking around, Seb ran over to the window and threw it open, hoping it would clear out the remaining smoke. But just as he finished opening it, there was a loud thumping noise on the door.

“Fire Department. Is there anyone in there?” A deep voice said loudly, with authority, through the door. 

Looking down, Seb was still only wearing his boxer-briefs, but went to open the door before they knocked it down. He unlocked it, and stood back as three large fireman in full gear clomped into the room. 

“Um, sorry guys….it was all my fault. I was burning some herbs in here.” Seb tried to look his most sincere, giving a little apologetic shrug with it. 

The tallest of the three seemed to be in charge, and he looked Seb over once and let out a little scoff. “It doesn’t smell like marijuana in here.” His craggy, lined face made Seb guess that he was in his late fifties. 

Seb shook his head. “Ah, not that kind of herb. It’s sage and stuff…” 

Another one of the fireman reached up, and pulled the plastic bag off the smoke detector. “Did you do that?” He glanced from the detector to Seb, pinning him with a dark gaze. He was the shortest of the three, with a stocky body and tanned skin.

“Well, yeah. I was going to take the bag down once the smoke dissipated.” Seb knew the firemen probably thought he was an idiot.

He glanced at the third fireman, the youngest of the three. He had picked up the plastic bag from where the second one had dropped it. “Oh, Atlantis Unicorn. You were smudging.” He looked towards his co-workers, and then over to Seb, looking proud that he’d figured out the puzzle.

“Nicholson, what are you talking about?” The oldest one asked him briskly. 

Holding up the bag like a trophy, Nicholson smiled at his superior. “It’s the New Age shop down on Sycamore, sir. They sell crystals, tarot cards, that type of thing. A lot of people buy dried sage to burn it for the smoke. It’s supposed to purify things.” 

The senior officer looked towards Seb. “Is that what you were doing?” 

Seb nodded. “Yes, exactly. I put the rest of the herbs in the bathroom sink when the hallway alarm went off.” 

It took a little while longer for the firemen to investigate, checking around the room to ensure there were no active fires accidently caused by obviously inebriated Seb waving burning herbs around a hotel room, and making sure the herbs in the sink were extinguished properly. 

It was getting pretty cool in the room by then, and Seb wrapped his arms around his torso to keep warm, knowing they would be done soon. The two older firemen gave him dirty glances occasionally, but the younger one's looks were definitely warmer, and admiring as they travelled down Seb mostly naked body.

 _Hmmmm…. Maybe the smudging did draw some positive energies to my room._ Seb thought as he moved closer to the young man in uniform. _Mmmmmm…. Uniforms._ “I don’t suppose your shift is over soon. I could really use more information on fire safety if you have some time.” His low whisper was for for his ears only, along with an interested look. The man was about Seb's height, with dark hazel eyes. It was hard to tell what his body was like under all the gear, but Seb was willing to bet it was good and muscular.

Nicholson glanced towards his co-workers to make sure they were busy before he returned Seb’s flirty smile. “I’m off in about an hour. Should I come back to your room then?”

Nodding, Seb daringly moved in closer. He smelled a little smoky, with a hint of sweat from working a hard shift. “Sounds perfect. Don’t shower.” Seb whispered in his ear, before backing off.

His large hazel eyes swept down Seb’s chest and legs again, and he swallowed, before meeting Seb’s green eyes again. Seb felt a surge of arousal at the heat in those eyes, and knew he was in for a good night.

The men left soon after that, warning Seb to not burn things in his room again. Nicholson was back to acting normal, except for a longer shared glance with Seb that confirmed that he’d be back shortly.

Closing the window, Seb made sure the supplies for later were within easy reach, and brushed his teeth. Stretching out on the sofa, he waited for the young, hot fireman’s return, relishing the low level buzz of his arousal. It had been far, far too long since he’d had sex last… probably at least a week or even nine days. Way, way too long. 

He picked up the paperback from the store and flipped through it, not much sinking into his slightly buzzed, horny brain beyond an occasional phrase about karma and reincarnation.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Sorry there’s no Kurt in this chapter, but Seb is trying to figure things out. He’ll be reappearing soon, promise.

-New Age / Metaphysical stuff: No offense intended to anyone who is a believer / practitioner. My knowledge is obviously sketchy.


	3. Chapter 3

Seb groaned when the alarm sounded, and he rolled over to turn it off. It had become a daily ritual to check the date on the cellphone as well, and he wasn't surprised that it was still February 2nd.

Rolling onto his back, Seb propped up the pillows on the bed, looking around the room. Everything was back in its proper place. Gone were the empty wine bottle, glasses and plates from the late night room service order he'd shared with the fireman between Round One and Two. Or was it between Round Two and Three? The fireman was gone too, which was too bad. He was a very good cuddler, and it would be nice to wake-up to a lazy session of morning sex.

With a chuckle, Seb picked up his phone and sent the regular email to the office, letting them know he wouldn't be in. Caught a bad case of repeat-day-itis... Or whatever you wanted to call it. 

Pondering what he should do today, Seb cringed at the thought of trying to leave Boulder again. He had spent the last week, stuck in traffic snarls, stuck in his car, stuck in airports and train stations. It was like he'd been in transit all week, like a big layover. He just wanted to be back in his Denver apartment, back in his own office, back in his own life. But he'd exhausted every option.

_Fuck it. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em._

Opening up a popular gay dating app, he flicked through the pictures of local guys, and soon was sending out some messages. He'd been working hard all week, and he deserved a break. Last night had been fun, and he wanted more of that. And why not?? If he ran into the fireman today, he would have no memory of anything they had done a few hours ago.

Then he got an idea. An awful idea. Sebastian Smythe had a wonderful, awful idea.

And with a grin wider than had been on his face in a year, Seb got busy on his phone.

\---

"Oh fuck, you have the best mouth..." Seb groaned, his knees threatening to give way.

Leaving against the bathroom sink, Seb braced himself as the man kneeling before him demonstrated his considerable talents. The sex had been great, and Seb had thought things were over when they shared a friendly shower. But once they dried off, Darcy had kissed down Seb's chest....and Seb was easily lead into temptation.

A loud banging noise made them both startle, and Darcy pulled back, looking up at Seb. "What's that?"

Smoothing down Darcy's wet hair from where his hands had mussed it, Seb reached over for a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He shrugged a shoulder. "My next date, I think. I didn't think you'd still be here. You're welcome to stay, join in on the fun."

Darcy was surprised, standing up and wrapping a towel around his waist as well.

Going to the door, Seb opened it and gave a sheepish smile at the blond college student wearing a tight t-shirt and even tighter jeans.

"Hi! Jamie, right? Come on in..." Seb waved him in and noticed that Jamie swept his eyes over Seb's mostly naked body with appreciation. But he stopped stort at seeing Darcy similarly dressed, leaning against the bathroom door jam. 

Moving into the middle of the room, Seb looked between the two men, his smile widening at the possibilities. "Jamie, this is Darcy. He is just....?" He looked towards Darcy with a questioning glance.

By then, Darcy had gotten over his surprise, and gotten a good look at Jamie. He just smirked at Seb, and then strolled over to sit on the edge of the sofa.

Seb nodded at him, pleased. Turning back to Jamie, he gave a placating smile. "Um...this has kind of evolved into a different situation then what I mentioned in my messages. Would you be OK if I ordered up some lunch and some beer, and we could all get to know each other a bit better?"

Jamie looked over the two attractive men wearing only towels, and a sexy smile spread across his face. "I think I'd like to get to know you both a lot better." He sat down on the sofa's other end. 

Chuckling to him, Seb turned to find the room service binder. Suddenly, being stuck in a town full of athletic, horny college guys didn't seem so bad. There were enough gay, bi and curious guys around to keep Seb busy for a long, long time.

\---

The room was a disaster, and Sebastian Smythe was exhausted. He had scheduled dates online in three hour intervals in the morning, never expecting the guys to stick around so long. He thought they would hook-up, leave, and he'd have a shower and relax before the next one knocked on his door.

Instead, he ended up ordering up tons of food and drinks, and everyone stuck around, devolving into quite the naked, sexy party. The hotel sent up security a few times to bang on the door and tell them to be quiet. Two of the guys ended up joining the party for a while. 

It was getting late now, and Seb was feeling tired. Still, a bunch of guys were hanging out, talking, drinking, fooling around. After the sex marathon of a day that Seb had had, he was too tired to be tempted by the scantily clad guys anymore.

Grabbing a blanket that was somehow clean, Seb glanced at his phone. 3:51 am. No wonder he was tired. He was still pretty drunk, covered with dried sweat and who knows what else, and sore from all the sex. There were scratches and bite marks all over his body. Telling the guys they could stay as long as they kept it down, Seb curled up in the club chair, wrapping the blanket around his body. He was asleep within minutes. 

\---

Barely four hours later, Seb's alarm went off. He was in his bed, alone, clean.

No hangover.  
No mess.  
No leftover men from the previous night to deal with.  
No marks on his body.  
No consequences.

This was awesome.

\---  
-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Sorry it's taken a while to update & thanks for sticking with this. 

-This story is fun in that it makes you ponder what you would do if there were no consequences. Seb already lives a pretty hedonistic lifestyle, so he's just going to dial it up a few clicks. He's gotta be bad before he can be good. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

A couple weeks later...

The bar was already mostly full when Seb arrived, since it was after the first period had ended. The Blackhawks were already beating The Avalanche by a score of 2-1, but it was a still a close game. 

It didn’t take long for Seb to get talking to a group of avid hockey fans. By the time the second period started, he had them playing a drinking game of guessing which team would win each faceoff. Even though he knew the game inside and out, he often picked the losing team, and was as drunk as his drinking buddies by the time the game ended. 

“Let’s do something else now…” Seb slurred, not wanting to go back to his quiet hotel room yet. “Any ideas?”

About half the group were bores and begged off, heading home. But three men stayed and threw out various suggestions. One of the ideas grabbed Seb’s attention. 

“My vote is for the tattoo parlor. I’ll even let you guys pick what I should get done there.” Seb grinned as the guys exchanged glances at that.

Brent stood up, slapping Seb on the back. “You’re crazy, man! You know we’re going to pick out some face tattoo of Hello Kitty doing something rude, or something like that.” 

Steve and Rob were full of awful suggestions, and Seb was laughing just as hard as they were as they piled into a taxicab. Somebody googled ‘worst face tattoos’, so by the time they got to the business, there were a few strong candidates.

Once in the parlor, the boys looked around at pictures of the artists’ work, bugging Seb with the various possibilities. Rob liked the idea of a lifelike spider on Seb’s cheek. Steve was leaning more towards the word ‘Reject’ in red ink, like a rubber stamp, in the middle of Seb’s forehead.

“Come on, man…” Brent pulled Seb off to the side. “You aren’t seriously going to go through with this, are you? If you want to get a dumb tattoo, at least get it on your leg or somewhere you can hide it.”

Seb grinned. “What’s the fun of that?” Frankly, he just wanted to do something crazy. Stupid. Fucked the fuck up. 

He looked over at the tattoo artist, Helena. “Hey, do you do body piercings here too?” 

Helena nodded. “Yes. What did you have in mind?” 

“I want a Prince Albert.” Seb said, nodding.

Brent, Rob and Steve stopped talking, and turned towards Seb. They literally had their mouths hanging open like cartoon characters. He just grinned back in return.

Helena shrugged, and told Seb the price and procedure. Within a half hour, he was leaving, with her sheet of instructions for after care.

“I can’t fucking believe you did that, man.” Brent said, shaking his head. 

Steve nodded. “Yeah, did it fucking hurt a lot to get done, or now?” 

“Is it all swollen and bleeding and shit?” Rob asked.

Seb rolled his eyes. He hadn’t had three genuinely straight guys this curious about his dick before. “Do you want to see it?” 

They shared a glance, and then all slowly nodded, curiosity getting the better of them. 

“Hey Helena, mind if I step into the backroom for a minute? The boys want to check out your handiwork,” Seb asked his piercer. She was the only woman who had touched his cock since he’d been toilet trained, so he felt comfortable asking this of her.

She shrugged, and smiled back. The store was empty besides them. 

Going into the backroom, Seb waited until the guys joined him, and closed the door. Still feeling a bit like chuckling from the situation, he undid his pants, and looked at the faces of the three curious men before pulling out his cock, and taking off the loose dressing. 

The ring through the end did look quite dramatic, and the guys all cringed at the small amount of blood and the swelling around the piercing site. 

“It doesn’t really hurt that much, surprisingly.” Seb shrugged, tucking himself away. “Now come on, what other trouble can we get into tonight?”

Unfortunately, by the time he woke up the next morning, his hangover and the piercing had vanished. Seb sighed in regret. The healing takes a month or more, so there was no way he could get the piercing and experience sex with it while he was stuck in this time loop.

\---

A couple weeks after that...

Pulling the knit cap down over his ears, Seb shivered as he walked down the street. It was freezing out here, the wind really picking up for the storm that was coming in. The area was quiet for pedestrians, since it was pretty cold out. But Seb was feeling a bit stir crazy and just needed to get out of his hotel room, do something different.

After weeks of being stuck on the same day, he had done everything he could think of in the city. Some days, he just wandered around, hoping to come across something new to do to relieve his boredom.

Nearby, a door creaked open, and a young guy with a scraggly beard stepped out onto the street. He was dressed in an old army surplus parka, an orange and red Nepalese wool earflap hat, and Sorel winter boots. 

Seb grinned and followed the guy. It wasn’t long before he popped into a café. A few minutes later, Seb was sitting a couple tables away, sipping a cappuccino. 

After a few minutes, he let his gaze land on the guy a few times, letting it linger a bit before looking away. Eventually, their eyes met, and Seb looked away.

Waiting a few minutes more, he then stood up, taking his drink with him, and walked over to the younger guy’s table. “Hey, man. Would it be OK if I sit with you for a few minutes?” 

Without waiting for a response, Seb pulled out a chair and sat down. The guy looked a little surprised, but didn’t raise any objections.

Seb leaned forward, looking the guy over thoroughly. “I’m sorry if I’m acting a little weird, but I saw you over here and I swear I know you from somewhere.” It wasn’t a line, he wasn’t trying to pick the guy up. He was just acting like a regular friendly guy.

The younger man looked Seb over, with no sense of recognition, his brow a bit furrowed.

“Oh shit! I know where I’ve seen you. At the dispensary.” Seb smiled, shaking his head.

The younger man looked closer at Seb, still searching his features but a bit of a smile starting. “Oh, you go to Mary Jane’s too?” 

Seb nodded. “Yeah, whenever I’m in town for work. What’s your favorite strain?”

“Hmmm… lately it’s been Ghost Trainwreck Haze. It’s potent, but so mellow.” His new friend replied.

“I tend to prefer a hybrid. What’s the name of that good one they have? Fuck, I totally can’t remember it right now…” Seb looked down at the table, thrumming his fingers on the table.

“Karma Bitch?” The young guy volunteered.

Seb’s head came up, and he grinned. “Yeah, man. That’s totally it. I’m Sebastian, by the way.” 

Looking pleased for guessing right, the young guy held out his hand. “Gareth. Have you ever tried Starfighter? I have some back at my place. It’s a hybrid too, but really smooth. And it really has a different smell… more lemony and piney.”

\---

A couple hours later, Seb was leaning back against some big floor cushions. There were thick Turkish style carpets covering the floor and thick drapes covering the high basement windows, so very little light came into the space. A low circular table had a collection of candles burning in colorful votive glass holders, the candlelight sending prisms of flickering colors over the walls and ceilings. An incense holder was burning a cone of incense. 

Stretching his long legs out before him, Seb nodded to Gareth. He was feeling no pain. 

He was about to pass the bong back when a hand tapped his thigh. Looking down in surprise, he saw a woman with dirty blond dreads lying to his right side. He hadn't even noticed her in the dim lighting. Plus her patterned clothing seemed to blend into the surroundings. He passed the bong her way, and she sat up to accept it. 

"I'm Sebastian.” He held a hand out to her, and she gave it a warm squeeze, her dark eyes friendly and a little spaced out.

"That's Sugar. She crashes here pretty often." Gareth chuckled as he set a tray of pigs in blankets on the coffee table. “She’s pretty chill, but whatever you do, don’t let her sing. She thinks she’s great at it, but it’s worse than howling tom cats.”

Seb was hungry, so he took a couple snacks off the tray. They were still hot from the oven, the pepperoni inside contrasting well with the warm bread wrapping. It reminded him of sleepovers he'd had as a kid. Comfort food.

Gareth scooped a bunch onto his plate, and was popping them into his mouth quite quickly. Beneath his striped caftan, Seb was willing to bet Gareth had a pudgy, soft body, nourished by quick food like this, cheesy poofs and cola.

“You know…you do remind me of someone, Sebastian.” Gareth said, looking Sebastian over critically. “A couple weeks ago, I went through a phase where I thought I should ease back a bit. And you know how you don’t dream much if you smoke up a lot? Well, you have these really strange and realistic feeling dreams when you come off.” 

Seb didn’t use it on a daily basis, so hadn’t really noticed this, but he nodded to keep Gareth talking. 

Gareth smiled. “Yeah, so I had this dream where it was my normal life, but all the colors were brighter than normal, and people talked really, really slowly. I kept telling them to talk normally, but nobody did. And there was this horse with really smart eyes watching me the whole time, and when I looked back at him, he changed into a man. He looked like you.”

“Oh great.” Seb rolled his eyes at that. Well, hang out with a stoner and you get deep conversations like this. He was stoned enough he just found the whole thing amusing.

“Yeah, yeah… and you were talking to me about how you were lost and wandering around everywhere. Wandering, wandering, wandering…” Gareth said, and took another hit. “You know the word ‘wandering’ is pretty funny if you say it a bunch. It sounds more like you are performing magic or something. Waving a wand around. Wandering.” 

He had an infectious giggle, and Seb found himself laughing along. From deep in the pillows, he could hear Sugar giggling too. He had thought she had fallen back asleep, listening to them debating if vampires could survive a zombie apocalypse. 

\---

And a couple weeks after that...

Seb turned off the alarm with a groan, and turned over onto his back.

Staring at the ceiling, he pondered what to do for the day. He thought of the guys who would be on the hook-up app this time of day and wasn't tempted to send any of them a message.

Things he'd tried on other days ran through his mind; rock-climbing, hiking, cycling, swimming, playing racquetball and pool. But he wasn't in the mood for them either.

Maybe he just needed a lazy day of watching Netflix, and ordering tons of junk food and alcohol from room service.

Sighing, Seb just rolled over. It all sounded dull. It was hard to keep track of how many days had passed, but it must have been a couple months worth. Two months of indulging every whim, goofing off and misbehaving in every way possible.

It was like being on a vacation. It had been great at first, exciting. But now he just wanted to go home. Go back to his normal life.

Reaching for his phone, he was just about to email the office the regular message that he was sick, when he stopped. He hadn't been to the office for ages.

Jumping out of bed, Seb was quickly showered, shaved and putting on a good suit. He hadn't worn one for ages, and he took a moment to admire himself in the mirror. Well, if he had to be stuck for eternity on the same day, at least he was a young, handsome lawyer.

\---

Walking into the office with a spring in his step, Seb smiled a greeting at all the staff he passed. He worked mostly in the Denver office, so didn't know the names of most people in the Boulder office.

Coming around the corner, there was that perfect ass in those pinstriped trousers. He'd missed it. Seb bit back the saucy comments that popped into his head, and edged around the desk.

"Good Morning, Wyatt." Seb smiled at the balding lawyer, trying to convey professional friendliness. This felt a bit weird. Usually he just said whatever he wanted with no filter, not afraid of offending anyone.

Wyatt looked up from his paperwork, nodding in greeting. He stood up, waving towards Kurt. "Morning. You're just in time to meet Kurt Hummel here. He's our new jury consultant." He smiled at Kurt. "Kurt, this is Sebastian Smythe."

Sebastian gave a friendly smile, and shook Kurt's hand. "It is good to meet you." He kept it professional, and kept his eyes from travelling over Kurt's body.

But even though he was acting completely appropriate, Kurt's blue-grey eyes scanned over Sebastian quickly, and he shook his hand with only professional courtesy. No spark of interest in Sebastian at all.

An hour later, Sebastian was sitting in the firm meeting, across from Kurt, and he felt alive and excited again. Here was a challenge. Something he would have to work hard to get right.

He had to find a way to seduce Kurt Hummel, and he only had a day to do it.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: I had lots of suggestions for all the trouble Seb could get himself into, but I wanted him to focus back on Kurt. 

-Prince Albert piercing. Prince Albert (1819-1861) was Queen Victoria’s husband. According to painfulpleasure.com, a piercing website, “He was reputed to have had this piercing done prior to his marriage to the queen around 1825. At that time, Beau Brummel started the craze for ultra tight men's trousers. Because the pants were so tight, the penis needed to be held to one side or the other so as not to create an unsightly bulge. To accomplish this, some men had their penis pierced to allow it to be held by a hook on the inside of the trousers. This piercing was called a "Dressing Ring" at the time, because tailors would ask if a gentleman dressed to the left or the right and tailor the trousers accordingly. To this day, tailors will ask if you dress to the left or right, all because of the dressing rings that were named after Prince Albert!” Other websites dispute this history. Either way, it’s the most popular male genital piercing and is supposed to provide greater stimulation for both partners during sex. 

-Pot Info: Thanks to leafy.com for the info about the various strains mentioned here.

-Never thought I’d put Sugar Motta in a fic, but since she’s just a quick mention, I didn’t tag her in the story tags. Boulder is known for having lots of trustafarians, and I can picture her spending a year or two of her twenties living like this.  
Urban Dictionary defines trustafarians as ‘Portmanteau of trust fund and rastafarian. A hippie poser. Essentially a rich kid who smokes weed, wears hats designed to hold dreads when he in fact has none, and uses the word "peace" to say bye.’ Or ‘A rich young white person, from a mansion house in the shires, usually with trust funds from mummy and daddy yet pretends he is poor. This species, more often than not, have dreadlocks, wear ethnic clothing, play the digeree-doo, dodge soap and generally mope around thinking they alternative and above everyone else. … Most will end up working for their daddy as a venture capitalist.’


	5. Chapter 5

Taking a deep breath, Seb opened the door to the firm. He nodded hello to the various co-workers as he walked down the hall, feeling unexpectedly nervous. This was so out of his comfort zone.

He neared Wyatt's desk, and the wonderful sight of Kurt Hummel's ass tempted him. 

_Which is easier? You getting into those tight pants or getting you out of them?_

The cheesy pick up line bubbled up in his subconscious, and normally Seb would just let it out. It was hard, but he was filtering everything today.

"Hi Wyatt. How are you, today?" OK, it was a bit boring but alright.

Wyatt peered around Kurt and saw Seb. He gave a small smile and stood up. "Sebastian, you are just in time to meet our new jury consultant." He went through the introductions, and Seb worked hard to not look Kurt up and down with an interested leer. 

_Remember my name, because you’ll be screaming it later._

Seb bit back the line, shaking Kurt's hand firmly and trying for a friendly smile. 

"So, I hear there could be a blizzard later on." Seb commented. Sheesh, he needed to work on better clean conversation skills. Was he really discussing the weather??

Kurt nodded. "Yeah, they can occur so quickly this time of year." His blue-green eyes met Seb's green ones, before looking towards Wyatt. So gorgeous.

_I’m no weather man, but you can expect more than a few inches tonight._

Seb let out a little cough, half afraid he'd said the last line out loud, but Kurt and Wyatt were still giving him friendly looks. He nodded at them. "Well, I'll see you in the meeting."

Escaping to his office, Seb leaned back against the door, panting like he'd run a mile. This was going to be harder than he thought. He not only had to suppress his natural lothario instincts, but had to work at seeming naturally charming. Had to gain Kurt's interest. Every word and action counted and he couldn't waste them on stupid ones about the weather. 

\---

He behaved during the meeting, pretending to pay attention and keeping from staring at Kurt by making notes of possible conversation starters. What did normal people talk about when it wasn't sex or flirting? 

As they left the meeting, Seb timed it so they exited together. "So, Kurt, it looks like we will be working together. Would you have time now to get a coffee so we can discuss it?" He knew Kurt had heard things about Seb already, and was not personally interested in him....yet. But he couldn't turn away from work-related requests as easily.

"Um...sure. We could do that." Kurt nodded. 

They headed down to the cafe on the main floor. 

_I don’t know what you think of me, but I hope it’s x-rated._

Seb pushed the line out of his thoughts as he struggled to find a good conversation opener, as they settled at a table with their hot drinks. He had taken special note of Kurt's order for future reference.

"Um...so Kurt..." _Do you come here often, or wait till you get home?_ "Have you lived in Boulder your whole life?"

Kurt took a sip of his Americano, shaking his head. "No, I've only been here about five years."

Well, at least he seemed to be polite to Seb. Coming for coffee, answering a personal question, although it wasn't a very long answer.

"Really? What brought you here?" Seb leaned back, crossing his long legs, and noticed Kurt's eyes flicking over them. Hmmm... There was definitely an appreciative glance in that. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as Seb thought.

Kurt's mouth curled up a little on one side, and he gave a small shrug. "My ex got a position at the university, so we moved here. Three years later, he left for another job but I stayed. This place grew on me."

"An ex, hmmm?" Seb gave Kurt an assessing glance. "I'm picturing you with a tall, muscular guy, with wavy blond hair."

Laughing, Kurt set down his drink and wiped a napkin over his lips. "Well, don't quit your day job to become a fortune teller. Blaine was a couple inches shorter than me, slim but muscular frame, and dark hair he slicked back with gel."

"Did he at least wear tweed suit jackets with elbow patches with rumpled jeans? Look like a proper college professor?" Seb's easy smile came out, liking that Kurt was laughing with him. This is good...keep it light like this.

Kurt shook his head. "You are 'O' for two, Sebastian. He dressed immaculately, pressed pants and dress shirts, always with a bow tie." 

Scrunching up his face in distaste, Seb had Kurt chuckling again. "Bow ties, really? You had the hots for a guy like that?"

Kurt got up to recycle his cup. "He reminded me of film stars from the 40s and 50s." 

Seb continued to tease Kurt as they returned to the office. It was a start, and Seb felt good about it.

\---

It had been the best day Seb had had in ages. Trying to behave and coming up with good conversation was a challenge, but Seb seemed to be doing OK. He could tell that Kurt's opinion of him had gone from suspicious, based on stories he had heard, to co-worker friendliness. 

They had met with the client and worked well together. Kurt had gotten her talking and Seb was actually quite impressed with how he handled things. Kurt wasn't just a pretty face. There were some brains there too.

After the client left, they had moved to Seb's office to discuss strategy. It was getting late now, and Seb pondered ways to move things along. Get Kurt to agree to spending time with him outside of work. Preferably naked, in his bed.

"I heard some scary things about the weather down around the office, Kurt. I don't know how long your drive is, but you might want to leave work early to avoid the storm." Seb said as he sorted some of his notes.

Kurt's head lifted from his file, and he gave Seb a smile in gratitude. "Thanks, Sebastian."

Smiles from Kurt were more frequent and easy now, after spending so much time together today. He would have to tread lightly, not screw up now.

"No worries. I always keep a close eye on the weather this time of year. I got trapped for several hours on the highway once." Seb didn't add that it was a few months ago, when he was trying to escape Boulder initially.

Kurt's eyebrows lifted. "Are you going to be on the highway tonight?" He glanced out the window, and already snow was swirling around, making it hard to see buildings across the street.

"No, I called and extended my stay at the hotel. I'll just go back and order room service, have a quiet night." Seb said, trying to get the tone right. Something that said he actually wanted company.

It was an opening. If Kurt was interested, he could suggest dinner together. Seb held his breath, waiting.

Kurt looked at Seb, his eyes travelling down his face, pausing for a second on Seb's mouth in a way that made hopeful interest spark inside of him. "It's nice to hole up like that on stormy nights. You should check out 'Stranger Things' on Netflix, if you haven't watched it already."

Disappointment hit Seb, and he realized how much he wanted more time with Kurt. It was worth trying again, putting himself out there. "I don't suppose I could tempt you to join me? We could order up some room service and watch it together."

Kurt's eyebrows rose slightly at the request. "Um...Sebastian, thanks for the offer, but it wouldn't really be appropriate. We are, ah, work colleagues and I don't like mixing business with pleasure."

 _Yeah, because you know it would be pleasure...hours and hours of pleasure._ Seb had found himself more and more attracted to Kurt, the more time they had spent together today. 

He knew enough that he could tell a Kurt felt it too, at times. Like when they were joking around, he could tell Kurt was looking at his eyes a little too long. Or his gaze would linger on his mouth, his hands, or his legs. 

He had done his own share of looks back. Enough that Kurt would know he was appreciative, without seeming creepy. And he had long ago come to the conclusion the only reason he would kick Kurt out of bed would be to fuck him on the floor.

Getting up, Seb walked slowly around the desk, and leaned against the edge, looking down at Kurt. He might as well try some other approaches, since Kurt wouldn't remember it when the day reset.

"Are you always such a Boy Scout, Kurt? Always following rules?" Seb dropped his voice to a sexy murmur, and let his eyes show his interest as they met Kurt's and then went down to his lips.

Kurt couldn't look away, caught up in the way Seb was looking at him for a moment. Shaking himself slightly, Kurt closed up his files and pushed them into his briefcase. He stood up, looking down at Seb with a challenging tilt to his head. "Rules are there for a reason, Sebastian. To keep things running smoothly. To keep things from getting messy."

"I'd like things to get messy with you, Kurt." Seb stood up, stepping closer until he was only a hairs breath away from Kurt and could feel the heat coming off his body. Felt the zing of awareness at being so close to him. "I'd love to see your hair all messed up from my hands, your mouth thoroughly kissed, your skin flushed with arousal, your eyes silently begging me for more."

Kurt's eyes flared at Seb's words, and he felt a thrill at seeing the reaction. Kurt may project an image of being cool and detached, but there was a passionate man in there, one that was as sexy as fuck. One Seb really, really wanted. He leaned closer, going in for the kiss.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I should have known it would come down to this. Everyone warned me about you, but you seemed nice so I gave you a chance." Kurt scoffed, stepping back, looking haughty. "As if I would really go back to your hotel room for a night of casual sex."

The door slammed loudly as Kurt left the office, and Seb sagged back against the desk. _Fuck. That could have gone better._

Sitting back down, Seb thought over every minute of the day. He could do better. He had to do better.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Jupiter, Pluto, Saturn, and Mars have all been screwing with us over these past few weeks. But if our astrologer had to pick one culprit for our troubles, it would be Mercury, the ruler of communication and technology. Mercury has been in retrograde since December 28 and will be until February 22, and we'll just have to get through it together. What this movement essentially does is make everything regress, just like the planet._ **

**_"Your relationships are backwards. Your life is backwards. Your emotions are backwards. Everything is going in the wrong direction," the astrologer explains. "You just can't seem to get through to anyone", she added. "You feel like you wake up to a big puddle of crap."_ **

Kurt scoffed at he clicked to a different screen on his computer. He doubted the current problems in his life could be attributed to the apparent motions of a burnt, crispy rock that was orbiting the sun, even if it was a convenient excuse. 

Looking up, he groaned internally as he saw the walking groin Sebastian Smythe opening his office door, a swarmy smile already on his face. What had he done to deserve his interest? And now they had to work together on this case and possible future ones. Should he feign having a boyfriend to divert his advances?

There were times he considered toning things down a bit. Dressing a bit plainer, styling his hair less tall...adopting a work uniform of sorts to avoid unwanted attention from guys like Sebastian. But he had promised himself as a teenager to just be himself, wear the clothes that he wanted. Dealing with flirty men was much easier than abusive high school jocks, at least.

Plus, he was in pretty high demand, good at his job, and had a healthy wage to show for it. A wage that allowed him to travel twice a year to New York to shop until he dropped, often with his old friend Isabelle with her impeccable fashion sense. It was his biggest splurge, along with the extra bedroom in his condo that he had converted into a walk-in closet. 

Dressing well was a part of the impression he wanted to project. As a consultant, he worked with a variety of law firms and needed to appear successful and in control, right from the first handshake. Maintaining a professional style and demeanour were essential. 

So, as much as he wanted to slap Sebastian Smythe, hard and repeatedly, he only smiled politely and redirected his attention back to the task at hand. Gritting his teeth to hold back a bitchy retort to the comment about his ass that was sure to come. But even if he was outwardly polite, professional, Sebastian was smart enough to see the expression in Kurt's eyes and knew, just knew, that there was no fucking way in hell Kurt would consider Sebastian on a personal basis. Kurt knew that he knew this, and sighed internally when instead of discouraging the lawyer, there was a spark of intense fascination. 

_Oh fuck. I'm a challenge to him now._

"So, you've made it perfectly clear I'm not your type, Kurt. Who is your perfect guy?" Seb asked, leaning back in his office chair, looking far too good in his designer suit. The cut made the most of his lean torso, his long, strong legs, and the muscles of his arms and shoulders.

Closing his eyes so Seb wouldn't see Kurt rolling them in exasperation, he took a calming breath. What could he say to make it clear Seb stood no chance, no fucking chance at all? “Well first of all, he’s too humble to know he’s perfect."

Seb smirked, looking upwards to consider the statement before he met Kurt's gaze again. "That’s me."

"He’s intelligent, supportive, funny." Kurt threw out.

“Intelligent, supportive, funny. Me, me, me." Seb had an even bigger grin in his face, and Kurt felt a twinge of attraction at the flirty expression there.

Scrambling for more items on his internal list, Kurt blurted. "He’s got a good body, but he doesn’t have to look in the mirror every two minutes." He could have left off saying that. No one would argue that Seb was physically gorgeous.

Seb shrugged. “I have a great body and sometimes I go _months_ without looking in a mirror."

Biting his lip, Kurt tried to think of harder qualities to find in men. "He’s kind, sensitive and gentle. He’s not afraid to cry in front of me."

Rolling his eyes, Seb's lips curved up on one side. “This is a man we’re talking about right??"

Kurt gave a little huff. Why was he even bothering with this? Obviously Seb was hardly paying attention. "Oh, and he plays an instrument and he loves his mother."

Seb got up, leaning in to Kurt. "I am REALLY close on this one. Really, really close."

And with a final smirk, he sauntered away. And all Kurt could think as he watched him go was "Great body...Check." Too bad his personality was so insufferable.

\---

Seb cringed as he rubbed the hair gel over his palms, and then spread it through his hair. Combing it through, he ended up adding quite a bit more gel before getting a tidy, slicked back look. It didn’t look too bad, actually. By smoothing his hair back, it made his green eyes look larger. 

Looking over his clothes, he slipped on a pair of brown dress pants, matching brogues and an ivory dress shirt. 

Chuckling to himself, Seb went downstairs and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. 

It didn’t take long to walk down to the store, and he was there when an older woman arrived, giving him a smile before she unlocked the door. 

“Good morning. My name is Sebastian, and I was wondering if you could help me with a bit of a fashion emergency.” He knew he sounded like a bit of an idiot, but he really had to get to the office by 10:30. 

Pushing her grey hair behind an ear, her hazel eyes took him in quickly, and she gave a bit of a smirk as she waved Seb into the store. “Fashion emergency, hmmm? Well, let me just get the lights on and we’ll see what we can do.” 

She bustled to the backroom, and the lights came on pretty quickly. Seb took off his coat and gloves, resting them on the counter. 

The lady reappeared, her coat removed, wearing a pretty red dress that came down to her knees. “OK, Sebastian. I’m name is Violet. What can I help you with today?” 

Deciding to put himself out there was the only way to get what he needed, Seb swallowed his pride. “There’s a guy whose attention I want to get. He mentioned that he liked vintage fashions, you know, like movie stars from the 1950’s…” 

Violet smiled widely, and Seb felt his face heating. Sheesh… he couldn’t remember the last time he had blushed. The things he did for Kurt. 

“So, you are dressing to please him? Awww… that’s sweet, really. I don’t know if that will get you your guy, but I’ll give it a go.” She moved over to the menswear section of the vintage clothing store, clearly knowing the pieces she was looking for after a quick look at Seb. 

Pulling out a few suits, she passed them to the tall man. “Go try these on.” She waved him towards the change room. 

Stepping behind the curtain, Seb quickly slipped the first suit. It fit pretty well, except it was a couple inches too short in the pants. He stepped out of the change room, and Violet simply shook her head, and pushed him back in. 

Seb chuckled as he changed. This time was a brown tweed three piece suit. He left his own ivory shirt on, and his own shoes, and this time when he stepped out of the change room, Violet looked him over and nodded. 

“Wonderful. Just a few accessories needed. A pocket square, suspenders, a tie.” She turned, digging in some drawers of a dresser. 

Pretty soon, Seb was looking at himself in the mirror. Really? Did it look good to have the waistband of his pants this high? To wear pants this loose? 

Violet was straightening his bowtie with a satisfied smirk on her face. “This is perfect. A darker shade and a light pattern to keep it interesting. Now, if you really want to reel him in, get him into your office later in the day, just wearing the pants, suspenders, bowtie, and your sleeves rolled up. It’s hot, believe me.” 

Chuckling, Seb pulled out his credit card. “I hope it works.” 

\--- 

Looking in the mirror, Seb studied his reflection. What would a man with slicked back hair and a vintage suit act like?

Tilting his chin up, Seb did his best Brando impression, a low scratchy whisper. "I’m gonna make him an offer he won’t refuse."

Shaking his head with a grin, Seb searched his memory for other actors of those days. Jimmy Stewart from 'Its A Wonderful Life' sprang to mind, and Seb tried to emulate his wide, guileless smile.

Trying to keep a straight face, Seb actually thought it worked with his look. OK, he'd be Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky for a day and see how Kurt responded to it.

\---

Slipping into the meeting already in progress, Seb nodded to his co-workers in greeting with a friendly smile. He avoided looking across the table at Kurt, giving his attention to the managing partner.

"Sebastian, I was just getting to you on the agenda. You are meeting today with your client for the challenge case?" George asked him, not long after.

Giving an enthusiastic smile back, Seb nodded. "You betcha, George."

Giving Seb a bit of a questioning glance at his overly cheerful response, George continued. "Please involve our new jury consultant, Kurt Hummel, with you in the meeting." He waved towards Kurt.

 _OK, here is goes..._ Seb tried to look natural as his gaze followed George's gesture and landed on Kurt, feigning seeing him for the first time. Seb let a smile of greeting spread slowly across his face, and then nodded before turning his attention back to George.

And as the meeting continued, he was satisfied when he sensed Kurt looking his way quite often.

After the meeting, he waited in the hallway for Kurt to exit the boardroom. "Hi there. I wanted a chance to introduce myself properly. Sebastian Smythe." He held out his hand and gave his best charming smile. Jimmy Stewart all the way.

Kurt looked dazed for a second, but clicked back into his professional demeanour. "Kurt Hummel." He smiled back while shaking Seb's hand. 

His grip was firm, the skin of his hand soft and warm. Seb got lost in the touch, looking into Kurt's eyes maybe a heartbeat too long. _Focus._

"Well, my client meeting is set for 2pm this afternoon. Would you care to come by around 1pm to discuss it and prepare?" Seb held his breath, waiting for Kurt's answer.

Kurt nodded, pulling out his smartphone to review his schedule. "That works for me. See you then."

\---

Seb had everything ready when Kurt was going to due to arrive. When there was a tap on his office door, he said "Come in."

Looking up from his position behind the desk, Seb smiled in welcome as Kurt entered. Standing up, he waved him to the comfortable guest chairs. 

Walking to the side credenza, Seb poured out a couple glasses of ice water from an insulated pitcher. Placing one in front of Kurt, he went around his desk to sit down again.

Seb had taken off his suit jacket, and noticed Kurt's eyes taking in the details of his vest. "Is that suit vintage?"

Looking down, Seb gave a self-deprecating shrug. "I believe so. There is an excellent shop down on Pearl Street, not far from my hotel." He clicked a button on his laptop so the music stopped. 

"Sorry about that. I was listening to 'Being Alive' on repeat after lunch." Seb settled into his chair.

"It's OK." Kurt was giving Seb a curious look now. "Who was the singer?"

Seb shrugged. "Raul Esparza. I know a lot of people prefer the Dean Jones original version of the song, but I saw the musical on Broadway with my Memaw when I was thirteen, and it stuck with me. He really should have gotten the Tony for that performance."

He shook his head, pulling out the file. "Well, I'm sure I've bored you enough with that. Let's get working on the case."

And as he opened the file, he could see the way Kurt was giving him little looks, and smiled to himself. It seemed like he was believing every word. Maybe today was the day.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

Seb returned Kurt's smile, trying not to make it too big. This whole day had been going so, so well. _Don't blow it, Smythe._

Their meeting with the client had gone smoothly, and he had asked questions that had Kurt giving him some longer looks. Seb grinned internally, knowing Kurt had been impressed with his work. _Not just a pretty face, eh?_

He felt a bit like a baseball pitcher trying for a no-hitter. He was in the bottom of the 7th...just a few more throws to see if he could have a perfect game. The next 'pitch' was going to be a hard one. He had to get this just right.

Placing his documents into a folder, Seb tilted his head slightly. "So, it's getting pretty late, Kurt. I've heard there is a great place for tapas a couple blocks from here. Would you like to try it out?" 

Kurt's eyes widened a little in surprise, and Seb found he was actually holding his breath while he waited for a reply. _Come on, say Yes. Yes, yes, yes..._. Seb tried to appear nonchalant, his heart beating faster. When had he last felt like this around a guy....?

"Um, well, that's a nice offer, Sebastian. But the weather outside is...," Kurt glanced towards the windows, the snowflakes swirling fast and angry against the glass.

"...frightful." Seb finished his sentence, nodding. _But my dear, you're so delightful..._ All day, he had to keep his expression friendly, not staring too long into Kurt's incredible eyes. 

Kurt gave a pleased look back. His demeanour had definitely warmed towards Seb during the day, from distant politeness to easy smiles and light joking. Maybe by the end of a meal with a couple glasses of wine, it could move to flirting... Maybe even more.

Kurt clicked his briefcase closed. "Yes, exactly. How about next time you are in town?"

Trying to keep the disappointment from showing too much, Seb nodded in acceptance. He had tried so hard, all day, and this was much further than he'd ever gotten with Kurt before. 

Getting up, he sauntered over to Kurt, sitting in the edge of the boardroom table near him, stretching out his long legs. _What the hell...might as well try..._

"Or you could come up to my hotel room, Kurt. We could order up room service and a great bottle of red. I promise I'd keep you warm all night." He let his eyes heat up a bit, looking over Kurt appreciatively. 

Pushing back with his wheeled chair, Kurt stood up fast. "Really? You think you can be nice to me for one day and I'll hook up with you?" Grabbing his coat, Kurt roughly pushed his arms into the sleeves and yanked it into place. "I was starting to rethink my impression of you, Sebastian. But I guess my first one was right."

Sighing, Seb watched as Kurt strode out the door. There was no way he could say anything else now to fix it. Dropping down into his chair, he turned to face the window, steepling his fingers as he thought over the whole day. What could he do better tomorrow? How could he draw Kurt in more, so he would accept his dinner offer?

\---

They said their goodbyes to the client, and Seb unbuttoned his vest, slipping it off to drape over the back of his chair. Unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt, he looked out of the window as he rolled up his sleeves to his elbows.

"Hope you don't mind me getting a bit more comfortable." He turned to find Kurt looking him over, and smiled to himself as Kurt started a little at Seb's comment. _Hmmm...Violet at the store had been right about that._

Kurt stood to take off his own suit jacket. "Um, no, not at all. It's a bit warm in here."

Seb nodded in agreement. Office buildings were bad for overheating their interiors when the weather got cold. But he doubted that was why there was a slight flush to Kurt's cheeks.

Sitting down beside Kurt, Seb scooted his wheeled office chair a little closer. He pointed to Kurt's papers from the meeting. "I noticed you took a lot of notes, letting me ask most of the questions. Is that how you normally work?"

Kurt blinked fast a couple times, and then his gaze dropped to the page. "At this stage, I do like to put myself in the juror's viewpoint, watching how the client interacts with the lawyer. They can't ask questions; they can only watch."

It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but Seb could swear that Kurt's eyes had lingered on him the last hour a bit more than necessary. Deciding to test it a little, Seb scooted even closer. "What were you madly scribbling away on here anyways?" He looked down at Kurt's handwriting, tilting his face this way and that with an exaggerated squint.

Chuckling, Kurt snatched up his notepad and clutched it to his chest. "Those are my private notes!"

His eyes mischievous, Seb pulled at the top of the notepad with a long finger, angling his face to peer over the top. He chuckled when Kurt's grip got firmer, his eyes flashing with mock affront. 

"Ha! The way you are hiding them makes me think there are more than just work notes on there. Were you doodling hearts with our initials in it or something? Sketching my ass?" Seb leaned in closer, his grin as flirty as he could make it. Kurt smelled delicious, and he just wanted to nuzzle his face into his neck.

Kurt's chuckle sent a warm bubble rising through Seb. The way those gorgeous blue-grey eyes met and held Seb's made his breath catch. There was definitely an interested spark there. A Maybe when before there had only been a No.

Easing back a little, Seb looked down, not wanting to screw this up. "Um, seriously though, Kurt, I value your input on this case."

Looking a bit surprised, Kurt went over his views on the meeting, bringing up things Seb hadn't considered. Leaning back in his chair, Seb stretched out his long legs, and listened attentively. 

Eventually Kurt started, looking down at his phone. "Oh shit, you shouldn't have let me ramble on so long. It's getting pretty late."

Sitting up straighter, Seb shrugged in response. "It was really interesting, actually. Would you like to go for some dinner and continue our talk?"

Seb found himself holding his breath again... _Come on, come on...say Yes..._ He could tell Kurt was wavering, right on the edge.

With a small smile, Kurt nodded. "OK, Sebastian. I'd like that. Have you been to Brava Bistro yet? They have great tapas."

"No, that's sounds great." Even if he'd eaten there three times a day for years, Seb would have said that. Heart pounding, Seb stood up and rolled down his sleeves, buttoned the cuffs and slipped his vest and suit jacket back on. Kurt's eyes seemed to follow a lot of his motions. 

Hmmmmmm..... Maybe if this dinner went well, Kurt could watch him doing the opposite in a few hours. The thought of those blue eyes watching as Seb slowly stripped, taking his time, started a slow burn down deep. A curl of arousal that was never far from the surface when he was around Kurt. 

And most surprising was that the more time he spent with Kurt, the stronger the desire grew. With most men, it would have faded long ago. Seb would have shrugged and said 'Next!' But since he'd been coming to the office the last couple weeks, he hadn't even bothered arranging for a hook-up.

\---

“So, where did you live before moving to Boulder?” Seb sipped his Shiraz, feeling pleasantly full and relaxed. 

Kurt was showing the signs of the wine he had been sipping, his laugh easier, and talking more freely. Seb was going to exploit it, get everything he could out of his attractive dinner date. 

An embarrassed look flitted across Kurt’s features, and his gaze dropped a little. “Well, believe it or not, I moved to New York originally to go to a performing arts college.” 

“What a waste of time!” Seb chuckled, a knee-jerk response he immediately regretted. 

_Oh shit._

Kurt’s expression flared with surprise and hurt, and was quickly replaced with the icy bitch face. “Yeah, well, it turned out that way. I ended switching to a different school after a couple years.” 

But Seb’s one little comment had killed the feeling he had worked all day to build. 

\--- 

*** Next day *** 

“So, where did you live before living in Boulder?” Seb tried to keep relaxed as he tried the question the next day. He had been lucky enough to get Kurt out for dinner again. 

Kurt’s embarrassment flashed over his face, and Seb could tell this was a sensitive issue for him. “Well, believe it or not, I originally went to a performing arts college in New York.” 

Seb raised his eyebrows, nodding. “Wow! I never would have guessed that. So, you trained in dance, or acting?” 

Some of the tension in Kurt’s expression eased a little, but not entirely. “I took classes in those subjects, but my major was singing.” 

Ten inappropriate responses flashed through Seb’s mind, and he settled for the mildest. “You have a very distinctive voice.” 

Chuckling, Kurt took another sip of his wine. “Perhaps a bit too distinctive. I realized that I would have a hard time finding work once I graduated, unless it was the sassy gay friend of the female lead or something.” 

“But still… to move your whole career path from the arts to law. That is a huge change.” Seb found himself leaning forward, not having to feign his interest at all. 

Biting his bottom lip a little, Kurt seemed to turn inwards a little. Seb could tell he was thinking about his past. What had happened when Kurt was only twenty or so? 

Seeming to make up his mind, Kurt met Seb’s eyes steadily. “There was a gay bashing not far from where I lived at the time, and the victim was left in a coma. It hit me pretty hard, with some similar stuff I had dealt with during high school. One night, I had an argument with a friend and stormed off. That fight and everything else just had built up in me…so when I saw a young guy being beaten up, I rushed in to his defense. And ended up in the hospital myself.” He shook his head slowly, his eyes dipping down to where his fingers were toying with his cloth napkin. 

_Holy crap._ Seb stared at Kurt’s downturned face, totally at a loss for how to respond. He had never been around anyone gay bashed, and had tended to hang around with sporty straight guys growing up. “Um, that’s awful, Kurt. But I can understand how that could happen. Get caught up in the moment like that.” 

The answer must have been OK, because Kurt lifted his head, searching Seb’s green gaze. “My father and my friends all yelled at me, thought I’d acted stupidly. But it made me realize how long I’d been fighting that type of shit.” 

“And you quit your program just like that?” Seb found he couldn’t look away from the intense look in Kurt’s eyes, baring so much, being so brave. 

Kurt shook his head, a wry grin on his full lips. “I finished up the semester. But that fall I was at NYU, majoring in psychology, mostly focused on behavioral science and criminology.” 

It made Seb feel a bit shallow, knowing he had only gone into law because of the money and prestige. Loving beating a good opponent, proving he was smarter, more ruthless. Kurt’s reason for going into the field was so much better. 

“So, you are actually trying to make the world a better place?” Seb said softly. 

Shrugging a shoulder, Kurt still looked a bit vulnerable at all he had revealed. “My father ran a tire and lube shop, and became a congressman to stand up for gay rights. Fighting to make better laws for various minorities.” 

Seb’s parents had always been mostly into getting more wealth and power. Whoever had the most stuff when they died won, right? Seb dropped his gaze, fumbling for a comment, a reply. And was stuck for words. 

“Hey, sorry for bringing up all this heavy stuff.” Kurt tapped a hand against Seb’s forearm, giving a small smile when he looked up. “So, have you seen the latest Star Wars movie?” 

The conversation moved onto lighter topics, and Seb felt more comfortable keeping up his side of it. He was glad to know all this about Kurt, filing the information carefully away in his mind, but knew he wouldn’t go down this path of questions again, asking Kurt about his past. 

\---

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Hi everyone! Happy New Year. Sorry it's taken so long to do this update. I was willing, but my muse was on a holiday. This story is proving to be more challenging to write than I anticipated, but I am still committed to finish it, even if my progress is slow. 


	8. Chapter 8

When they left the restaurant, the city was calm. The blizzard had passed, leaving the world covered in a thick, soft blanket of fresh snow.

Kurt sighed, looking around. "This is one of the things I love about Colorado. The snow isn't fluffy like this in New York usually, it's more wet."

Looking at Kurt appreciating the winter scene made his heart skip a beat. There was a bit of a magical quality to it. The snow sparkled; the large flakes catching the light, and Kurt's cheeks became rosy with the cold. He didn't seem to be hurrying off, which Seb took as a wonderful sign.

 _Say something! Get him to stay!_ Seb scrambled to think of a way they could spend some more time together. Things were going so well, and he didn't want the night to end.

"Um...Kurt...I had a bit of a crazy idea..." Seb started, hoping Kurt would like his suggestion.

Kurt gave him a genuine smile back. "Hmmmm...I've probably had just the perfect amount of wine to agree to almost anything."

 _Oh really???_ Seb had to push down a dozen naughty reactions to that statement. "Well, I heard there's this amazing live band playing tonight. It's not too far from here. Want to go check them out?"

Kurt was a little surprised. He looked at the time on his phone. "You know, it's not that late. I could probably go for an hour or two."

"I know, we need to be awake for work tomorrow. We won't stay that late." Seb grinned, wanting to jump around like an excited puppy. He kept his face calm. "How about I drive? I can bring you back to your car afterwards. Besides, my car has heated seats."

"Oh, do you think my ass isn't hot enough?" Kurt joked, as Seb pressed the unlock button on his BMW key fob.

Seb almost fell getting into the car at that comment. Kurt laughed as he buckled up.

"Um...ah...I plead the Fifth." Seb stammered, starting the car. _Oh My God. Tipsy Kurt is a flirt._

All Seb's explorations of the area around Boulder, looking for escape routes, paid off now. He knew which roads got them there fast.

Before long, Seb was leading them into a large white tent, and paid the cover charge. The party was already in full swing.

"What the hell is this?" Kurt grinned, looking around at all the people dressed in costumes. There were zombies, belly dancers and lots of people dressed like old men with long, grey beards. Most of the band onstage had Day of the Dead-style face paint, and the lead singer looked a bit like a voodoo priest. He had waist-long dreads, a top hat, an old suit, and a string of large teeth around his neck.

Seb grinned. "Frozen Dead Guy Days. You've lived here for years. You haven't heard about this?"

Scrunching his mouth to one side, Kurt pondered it. "It sounds vaguely familiar. Probably heard about it in passing somewhere, but didn't pay much attention."

Guiding Kurt to the bar, they grabbed drinks and found a place to stand to watch the band. Tons of people were dancing. The tent was heated, so it felt quite comfortable. They slipped off their winter coats and suit jackets, loosening their ties to blend in with the casual crowd better. Seb rolled up his sleeves again, smirking to himself when he caught Kurt eyeing him fairly often. 

"Don't you remember that stuff in the news about that Norwegian guy who brought his dead, frozen grandfather back here and kept him in a shack behind his house?" Seb took a long swig from his bottle.

Kurt was getting into the music, rocking his hips in a way that was pretty distracting. "Um...maybe. I think all that happened before I moved here."

Seb grinned. "There was a big legal battle with the town over it, but eventually they gave him an exception. He is kept in a Tuff Shed with dry ice. You can even tour it to see him."

Kurt laughed. "I'll pass, thanks." He looked around at the crowd, all determined to have a great time. "So what does that have to do with all this?"

"They've been holding this festival for years in his honor. There is a polar plunge, frozen turkey bowling, coffin races, a frozen t-shirt contest, that kind of thing." Seb shrugged.

Kurt shook his head. "Only in Colorado."

A fast song came on, and Seb could see Kurt reacting to it. Swallowing his nerves, he tugged on Kurt's arm. "Come on, let's dance."

Kurt seemed a little surprised, but nodded and followed Seb onto the crowded dance floor. It just made everything seem a bit more surreal to be dancing with people in jeans and hoodies on one side, and a woman in a skimpy bellydance costume on the other.

The music was infectious, and they had enough libations to just get into it. Kurt was fond of shoulder shimmies and being slightly goofy. Seb laughed, shaking his ass to the beat.

A few songs later, they went to the bar for some drinks. Seb opted for water, since he was driving. Kurt ordered a strawberry margarita.

"Really, Kurt?" Seb arched an eyebrow at him.

Kurt smirked, taking a long sip of the pink drink. "It's delicious." He licked his lips, and Seb had to turn away to keep from groaning.

Looking back, he nudged Kurt. "You are a girl drink drunk."

"Counselor, I object!" Kurt chuckled, slurping at the drink. "On the grounds I'm not a girl and I'm not drunk." He plunked down on a tall stool.

Seb found tipsy, flirty Kurt fairly irresistible. "I meant that you are drunk on girl drinks." He crowded closer; just to make sure Kurt could hear him over the loud music. No other reason, of course.

"Real men don't like strawberries with tequila?" Kurt asked, his eyes twinkling. "Good thing I gave up trying to pass for straight around the time I first got body hair. Being a 'real man' sounds dreadfully dull."

Chuckling, Seb watched as Kurt tilted up the glass to slurp up the last of the blended frozen cocktail. A drop of the liquid was on his lip when he set the glass down. Staring at it for a second, Seb just thought _Fuck it_ and swooped in, pressing his lips lightly to Kurt’s and licking up the drop with a small flick of his tongue. 

He backed up just enough so their lips weren’t touching, and opened his eyes. Kurt was so close, his incredible blue eyes looking back at Seb with surprise, but also something else. Something more.

"You're right. It is delicious." Seb said softly, looking between Kurt's blue eyes and those tempting lips. 

_Well, he’s not shoving me away…_ Seb kissed him, properly this time. A firm kiss, shifting to stand between Kurt’s legs, his hand coming up to his shoulder. 

A cold, wet sensation made Seb jump away. “Fuck!” He reached a hand to the back of his head, pulling away a handful of slushie, and dropping it on the floor. Looking around, he saw a couple really drunk girls walking from them, holding the frozen drinks. They weren’t walking very straight, so he doubted they even realized they spilled some on him. 

Kurt was laughing, and he reached into a pocket, passing a couple tissues to Seb. “Here, better wipe it up before it goes down your neck.” 

Turning so his back was to Kurt, Seb passed the tissues back to him. “Could you…?” 

Taking the tissues, Kurt rubbed them along Seb’s neck, and dabbed up into his hair. He put a finger inside his collar, pulling it away from his neck and catching a few dribbles there. “This reminds me of high school.” He chuckled softly.

Seb rotated to face him. “What do you mean?” 

Kurt shrugged, one corner of his mouth going up slightly. “I was the only out guy in my small town school, and a member of the Glee club. We often had slushies thrown in our face by the cool kids.” 

“That’s pretty crappy.” Seb said, not really sure how to respond.

“Yeah.” Kurt agreed. 

The energy had changed between them. “Um, do you want to head back?” Seb didn’t want to push his luck. Today had gone so well. The best day so far.

Getting off the stool, Kurt nodded and put his suit jacket and winter coat on. 

\---

“Sebastian,” Kurt said when they got back to his car, “I had a really good time tonight. Um, do you maybe want to go back to that festival on Saturday during the day? It would be fun to dress up warmly and watch the coffin races.”

He was momentarily speechless. “Um…yeah, yes Kurt. I think that would be fun. Plus, did you see that they have a special ice cream flavor called ‘Frozen Dead Guy’? Blue ice cream with crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms. We gotta try that.”

Kurt smiled, his face shadowed in the car interior. He leaned forward, putting a hand on the back of Sebastian’s neck to pull him into a kiss. It was confident and firm, and far too short. It should have lasted a day. Or maybe two. It was so perfect.

“Goodnight, Sebastian.” Kurt said softly, and he got out of the car and got into his own. 

Seb watched as the car drove away, lifting a hand to lightly brush them over his lips. They still tingled from Kurt’s kiss.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!! I couldn’t let this day pass without posting a chapter. Good news… I was feeling a little stuck, but had an ‘Eureka!’ moment in the shower today. You shouldn’t have to wait months for the next update. Yay!

-Frozen Dead Guy: According to Wikipedia, a Norwegian, Trygve Bauge, brought the corpse of his recently deceased grandfather, Bredo Morstol, to the US in 1989. The body was preserved in a cryonics facility in San Francisco for a few years. In 1993, Trygve and his mother, Aud, moved the body to a dry ice filled shed behind their unfinished house in Nederland, Colorado. Trygve was deported when his visa expired, and Aud was later evicted from her home for having no electricity or plumbing. The body came to attention of the media and the city then, since it is outlawed to keep bodies or parts of bodies on properties. Due to publicity, they eventually granted an exception in this case. Bredo is in a Tuff Shed with dry ice now.

-Frozen Dead Guy Days: I took some artistic license and moved this festival up a few weeks. It’s usually in early March, and I have it in February. Nederland is 13 miles from Boulder, so I'm thinking it's within Seb's region.  
This is an annual festival held in Nederland since 2002. Lots of crazy fun: Coffin races, slow-motion parade, Bredo lookalike contests, polar plunge, pancake breakfasts, markets, snowshoe races, snow sculpture contests, frozen turkey bowling and the dance, called ‘Grandpa’s Blue Ball'. [Here’s the website with fun video.](http://frozendeadguydays.org)


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up, Seb first thoughts were of Kurt, and he smiled as he stretched. 

He kept smiling all during his shower, and as he selected a navy suit for work. 

He didn't look too hard at his surroundings, deliberately ignoring that Boulder looked like it had every morning for months. No signs of a blizzard, since it hadn't hit yet.

He stayed in his happy bubble, getting an Americano and a vanilla latte at the cafe for Kurt before heading into the office, a little spring still in his step. 

He had been able to overlook the signs on the way there. But seeing Kurt bent over Wyatt's desk, in the same amazing pinstripe pants was a sign that shook him. It was all over when Kurt straightened up and turned to face him, no sign of recognition in his blue eyes.

Seb's heart sunk so fast he actually swayed on his feet.

"Woah, are you OK there, buddy?" Wyatt stepped closer, grabbing Seb's arm. "Come, sit down." He guided him to the edge of the desk.

Seb hung his head, staring at the floor. Voices continued around him, but he just ignored them all.

Somehow, he had convinced himself that the amazing date last night, only a few hours ago, had broken the time loop. 

_Stupid Idiot. You get kissed and you think you will break free of some fucking magic spell? What are you, a Disney Princess?_

Lifting his head, he looked at Kurt again. His blue eyes were concerned, but there was no sign of anything else. He knew Kurt's every expression by heart now. 

"Maybe you should go home, Sebastian. You don't look so well." Wyatt patted his back. "Come on, lets go get you a cab."

Seb scoffed when he realized he was still holding the hot drinks. "Here," he pushed the latte at Kurt. "Vanilla no foam no fat latte. Anyone want an Americano?" He set the drink on the desk and got up, grateful for Wyatt's help. He felt like he had been punched in the gut, hard.

By the time they were at the elevator, Seb felt more normal. "Hey, Wyatt, I'll manage from here. Thanks for your help."

The older man gave him a long, concerned look before patting Seb's shoulder. "OK, go home and rest." He went back to the office.

\---

 

Back in his hotel room, Seb striped to his boxers, throwing the clothes everywhere. He crawled back into the rumpled bed, pushing his face into the pillow. Suddenly he understood why teenage girls clutched their pillows and sobbed into them. Over some stupid boy.

He really felt like screaming. _This was so fucking unfair. Why? Why? Why the fuck was this stupid fucking day repeating over and over?_

It took a while to settle down a bit. He felt such a strange mix of emotions. Frustration, anger, disappointment. He had no idea why it was happening, so he was powerless against it.

Deep inside, all these weeks, he had started thinking that maybe Kurt was the key. If he could win him over, it might break the time loop. He hadn't realized how deeply he'd internalized the belief until today. He had fully believed that he would get to that office and it would be different. That it would be the next day.

Closing his eyes, Seb pictured how it should have gone. He would arrive with their coffees, and Kurt would greet him with a fond smile, sipping on his latte, flattered and impressed Seb had remembered his order. Maybe they would sneak into his office to talk and drink the beverages. Maybe Kurt would even be flirty or even steal a quick kiss.

Seb could imagine working beside him, sharing glances full of awareness of each other. Maybe mentioning their date plans, just to let Kurt know he was looking forward to seeing him again, away from the office.

And then, to spend the Saturday together, dressed casually, bundled up against the cold. Sharing lots of laughs and just being close to Kurt all day. Flirting more, seeing what he could get away with. Sharing more kisses at the end of the date, maybe even more.

But all that was gone now, erased while he slept. To have to start again from scratch just seemed overwhelming. It was hard enough being perfect all day, say the lines that worked before, acting like it was fresh and new. It was hard to get Kurt out to dinner, let alone agree to see the live music again. 

He sighed, looking out the window and seeing the blizzard starting. _What was even the point of doing all that?_

He doubted he would get further with Kurt in a single day. To get to kissing and a date was pretty incredible. It didn't seem to magically affect the universe to stop the endless time loop.

Grabbing his jeans and a hoody, Seb soon left the hotel room,looking for the nearest bar to eat a greasy meal and drink until he couldn't see straight. Maybe he would hook up with someone, anyone, and just fuck this fucking day away.

 

\---

 

Hours later, Seb was a bit drunk and messy. A hook-up had come and gone, leaving a mess of beer bottles on the coffee table. He just felt a bit numb. 

The sex was strangely unsatisfying. The guy had been a blond twink, flirty and up for anything. Normally the perfect type for quick, meaningless sex. But half way through, Seb realized he was just going through the motions, feeling detached from it all. He didn't let on, acting his role, and for the first time ever, faked an orgasm. He pulled the condom off, pulling the covers up, and his erection faded easily. His partner was none the wiser, and soon left.

 _Really?? Even sex was getting boring?_ Seb glared at the ceiling, just mad at everything. He was just so fucking trapped. Every day marched on, a stupid fucking repeat of the last. And now he couldn't even have sex as an escape occasionally? Really?

He idly flipped through the guys on the gay dating app, seeing if he found anyone appealing. One guy caught his eye, his heart picking up a beat, and it took a second before he felt disappointed. The guy looked a bit like Kurt, quiffed hair, blue eyes, fair skin. But a second glance confirmed it wasn't him.

Throwing the phone onto the bedside table, Seb groaned. If only it had been Kurt, and he could just message him to arrange for a hook-up. What would it be like to hear a knock on the door, and open it, seeing Kurt there with bedroom eyes? Just yanking him in to throw him onto the bed, eagerly jumping on top of him to kiss him deeply while stripping off everything he wore? Seeing him messed up and lips swollen from hard kisses, pupils big and just tilting his head back, begging for more?

Seb could picture kissing and nibbling down his neck, pale skin showing little love bites so perfectly. Imagined stroking him everywhere until he was panting and desperate.

The fantasy had made him hotter than being with a real guy. Seb stroked himself, continuing down the path of his thoughts, able to fill in the blanks so easily from all the time he had spent with Kurt. He knew his smell, the pleased noise he made when he sipped his latte. The way his eyes glowed with a laughter. His slim, toned body with long legs and that incredible ass. It would be worth the work of getting him out of all those layers to see all his pale skin. 

His orgasm was satisfying as solo sex could be. As he cleaned up, his breathing calming, he just shook his head at himself. Was he really so hooked on Kurt now, that he was the only one he even wanted? This was a scary, scary precedence.

 

\---

 

The next day, Seb was at Gareth's and enjoying the strain Ghost Trainwreck Haze. He was floating on a very mellow high, feeling no pain. 

It had been easy to knock on his door and tell the stoner that he was the horse-man from his dream. With a smile, Gareth nodded in recognition, and waved Seb in.

"So, are you feeling better, man? You looked pretty bummed out at my door." Gareth held out a bowl of cheezies towards him. 

Taking a handful, Seb crunched on them slowly, revelling in the cheesy goodness of each bright orange bite. "A bit...but I'm so stuck, Gar. I'm interested in a guy who I can never get. I can't leave Boulder. I can't even get to tomorrow." 

Gareth sighed, setting a heavy hand on Seb's shoulder. His pupils were huge and dark. "Woah, really? You are stuck in time?" He was stoned enough to just look back at Seb in wonder, no doubt at all in the likelihood of the statement.

"Yeah...I keep reliving the same day again and again. Every day it's February 2nd." Seb felt good talking about it and not being judged. "I can remember everything, but nobody else does. I've even come here a few times to hang out with you before."

"Holy Shit! It's like a superpower or something." Gareth's mind seemed blown at the whole concept. "Do you have anything weird you can do that you couldn't before?"

Seb shrugged. "Not really. But I've had huge parties in my hotel room, and when I wake up in the morning, everything is back in place and clean. I could spend all my money and it would be back in my account the next morning."

"Woah. That would so fucking awesome. No consequences."

"I even got my dick pierced and the next morning it was gone, no sign of it." Seb smiled widely, enjoying Gareth 's look of amazement. _Hmmmm....maybe it was a superpower._

His friend jumped up, pacing around the basement. Central American tapestries, pillows and rugs covered the walls and floors, making it into a soft cocoon. The air was hazy with pot smoke and candlelight. "Wow....I'm so jealous of you, man. You have infinite time to explore and learn and experience everything."

Seb scoffed, giving a wry grin. "As long as it's within the Boulder area and happening today."

Gareth dropped down beside Seb, giving him an affectionate hug. "There are thousands of people living here. You could get to know them all. Think of everything you could learn from them all. You could read every book in the library. Learn how to play every instrument. Try every strain of weed in the store." He sounded excited about the idea, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

Chuckling at his friend's ramblings, Seb took another deep puff on the joint he passed him. "But what about the guy I like? I can never get anywhere with him in just one day. On the best, best day, it got to the point of a few kisses, that's it."

"Maybe that's all that can happen with him, man." Gareth shrugged. "Que sera sera. Whatever will be, will be."

"The future's not ours' to see..." Seb sunk back onto the huge pillows, the weed really hitting him hard and making it look like the room was spinning. He grinned, waving his hands in the air, trying to catch the colourful stripes that looked so near. Maybe Gareth was right. This could be a prison or a paradise...it was all in how he framed it in his mind. 

\- Disclaimer: I own nothing.


	10. Chapter 10

Seb was in a strange state of mind when he woke up. The conversation with Gareth was still on his mind, fragments of it anyways. It was a whole different view of his situation.

For months, he had been working on being Kurt's perfect guy, dressing and acting in a way to attract him. Working on his script of the perfect day, until he knew how to deliver it and draw Kurt in. It had worked...getting them out to dinner together, and even to the Frozen Dead Guy festival to listen to the band there.

Kissing Kurt, and later, in the car, having Kurt ask him out and kiss him goodbye, had been amazing and perfect. 

But even if he did the day again exactly the same way, he would likely never get any further with Kurt. He just wasn't the type of guy who had casual sex. Seb sighed. Was there any point of going through the day again, with no hope of anything more?

Sure, it was great spending the time with Kurt, seeing him warm up to Seb, getting to feel his kisses if everything went right. But Seb knew if he got there again, each time it would seem less special. It was best to just leave it alone. A day as perfect as he could make it. To try again would either be frustrating if he failed, or cheapen the experience if he succeeded.

Getting out of bed, Seb stepped into the shower. If he wasn't going to focus on Kurt, what could he do? There didn't seem to be a way out of this time loop. Unless he came across a new idea, he was stuck, maybe forever.

Gareth's comments about having all the time to try everything repeated in his head. What could he learn to do? What was available to him, on this particular day, in Boulder, Colorado?

Towelling off, he shaved and did his hair, with his mind still turning the questions over and over in his mind. When he looked in the closet, he slipped on an old suit, not even considering wearing the vintage suit he had worn for months for Kurt.

\---

At the cafe, he looked over the whole menu board. So many things he'd never tried, usually just ordering an Americano.

"Um...hi...Stacey." He glanced at the nametag of the barista. She had short, dark spiked hair and a lot of black eyeliner on, giving him an amused look at his confusion. "I usually have an Americano, but want to try something new. What would you suggest?"

She looked him up and down. "Hmmm...nothing too sweet or creamy, I think. I'll make you my special." With a wink, she got to work.

The resulting drink made Seb give a slight moan when he tasted it. "This is so good..."

"Just a variation on a cappuccino, with a hint of almond flavoring, light on the milk." Stacey smirked with satisfaction.

He nodded back, sipping the drink as he got into the elevator.

In the office, he could see Kurt was at Wyatt's desk, and spun the other way, stepping into the area with many paralegal's desks. They all looked at him curiously.

"Um...Hi... I was thinking of ordering something tasty for everyone at the meeting today, so we don't fall asleep while George drones on. Do you know of somewhere we could order something besides donuts?" He found himself saying, thinking fast.

Warm looks and smiles were the response, and several suggestions were thrown out. 

Seb listened to them all. "Hmmm...that deli you suggested sounds great, um...". He smiled at the woman with salt and pepper hair, and blue framed glasses.

"Marianne." She supplied with a smile, writing quickly on a post-it note. She passed it to him. "Here's the name of the place. Would you like me to arrange it?"

Glancing back to Wyatt's desk, he saw that it was empty now. The coast was clear. "Ah, no, I'll call them right away. Thanks!" He gave her a winning smile and nodded at the others before escaping to his office.

Shrugging, he googled the deli and searched their catering options. Placing a quick call, they agreed to deliver a platter for the meeting.

\---

He deliberately stayed in his office until right before the meeting started, walking in quickly and taking a seat at the end far from Kurt. It just hurt too much to face him for the full hour. 

The platter from the deli was being enjoyed, with many co-workers giving him a nod of appreciation when the paralegals whispered that he had ordered it. He grabbed a bagel, cream cheese and lox, happy to eat something since he had been too distracted to eat breakfast before. 

He was still drawn to watch Kurt, seeing him picking the same thing Seb did, sprinkling capers over the cream cheese before layering lox on top. He ate with real appreciation, reminding Seb that he had lived in New York for a few years, and probably missed food like this.

The meeting ended, and he braced himself for Kurt's approach to discuss the client meeting. 

"Hi, I'm Kurt. I guess we are working together." The sexy man held out his hand for a professional handshake.

Seb quickly shook it, tingling at the quick touch. "Yes. Would you mind handling the initial meeting, just getting her backstory? She's coming in at 2pm and I've been pulled away."

Kurt seemed surprised, and was about to comment.

Turning away, Seb looked for an escape. "Tom, can I talk to you in your office for a minute?" He nodded at Kurt, and then walked away quickly with Tom in the opposite direction.

Tom gave Seb a puzzled glance. "What is this all about?" 

Thinking fast, Seb tried to remember what Tom had mentioned working on in the meeting that he had attended so, so many times. "Something occurred to me as you were talking in the meeting. Have you looked at Johnson v. Strauss? It's an older case, but I think it may be similar to your's." He urged Tom into his office, closing the door behind him.

He was able to get Tom talking about his case, and somewhere along the way, really found it interesting. They dissected it, digging through the files and pulling out reference books.

Tom leaned back, stretching. "Wow, Sebastian, it's been really good reviewing everything with you. Getting a different perspective on the whole case." He glanced at the time, and swore. “I’m supposed to be meeting some friends in about ten minutes for supper.” He got up, taking his winter coat off the hook behind his office door and slipping it on.

He paused, looking back at Seb. “Say, would you like to join us? We’re grabbing dinner at Oak, and going out for some live music after. It’s a pretty casual group.”

Seb was surprised at the invitation, but accepted it.

\---

Chuckling, Seb followed Tom up to a large wooden door, marked with only a small metal sign that said ‘Open Daily 4 pm – 1 am’, beside a pizza joint in an unremarkable strip mall. “Where are you taking me? This looks pretty shady.”

Sending a grin over his shoulder, Tom opened up the door and music poured out. “Come on.” He led him over to a booth in the corner, where his other friends were already sitting. 

It was a small space, with a central bar area lined with stools, and booths along a wall. A tiny stage held a blues band consisting of a singer with a guitar, a bass guitarist and a drummer. The space was packed, with many groups standing around the tall, bar tables, drinking pitchers of beer and eating pizza. 

Seb soon was sipping a tasty microbrew and joking around with Tom’s friends. They were mostly in their late twenties, well-educated professionals who travelled extensively and were passionate about music. 

He was pulled out of their conversation by the band though, when the lead singer pulled out a harmonica and went into a fantastic solo. The whole crowd was cheering and clapping along.

“That was so good.” Seb turned to Tom. He had never really listened to blues before.

Tom nodded, and leaned close. “It’s Chicago blues style. So much good energy.” 

Seb sipped his drink, grinning as he listened to the rest of the amazing set. After months and months of being stuck on the same day, it was still incredible to have days like this that went a completely different direction. When he woke up this morning, he never would have pictured himself getting drunk listening to world-class blues with a bunch of hipsters and having a great time. 

\---

He stayed out late, drank a little too much, and still woke up at his regular time. No hangover and feeling well rested. It was one of the best things about his situation. Having all his transgressions erased by the time he woke up. 

Pondering what to do with the day, Seb sighed at how many times he had done this. He was drifting, without an anchor, and that was going to probably drive him batty if he continued on that way. Without the goal of trying to ‘get’ Kurt, he felt a little lost.

Maybe something would trigger this time loop to end and he would wake up to a new day. But maybe it never would, and he would be stuck here for years. Maybe forever. He could hope for the former situation, but he had to prepare for the latter.

Over a huge room service breakfast, he thought about how he could use his time. Sure, he could drift from day to day, doing whatever whim hit him at the time. But he really needed more structure to his life than that.

Sipping coffee, he opened his laptop and made a list of things he liked doing and things he wanted to try doing, things he wanted to learn how to do. He let his imagination run wild, just typing down any idea that struck. He thought about Gareth’s words, about meeting all the people in Boulder, reading all the books in the library, and trying every type of weed. 

Chuckling, he thought of when he had asked Kurt about his perfect guy. What had he said again? After a minute, he started typing again. _Intelligent, supportive, funny, kind, sensitive, gentle_. Seb just shook his head at the words. _Plays an instrument and loves his mother._

Could he actually do this? Try doing completely different things and working at them until he got good at them? Could he really change that much? 

Shrugging, Seb started sorting the list, picking out the things that were the most appealing. He had nothing but time. He could try things, and if he didn’t like them, take them off the list. 

A niggling thought was popping up. _What was that 10,000 hour rule again?_ Googling it, Seb read up on the theory that if someone practices something for that many hours, they could become a master on it. Time was the one thing he seemed to have an unlimited amount of. What could he learn in all those hours?

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-Bar: It’s called the No Name Bar, because it literally has no name or signage. Look for the big wooden door next to Cosmo’s Pizza on The Hill. 

-10,000 Hour Rule: The idea that 10,000 hours of dedicated practice in one area will bring you to the level of a master. “To become a chess grandmaster also seems to take about ten years. (Only the legendary Bobby Fischer got to that elite level in less than that amount of time: it took him nine years.) And what’s ten years? Well, it’s roughly how long it takes to put in ten thousand hours of hard practice. Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success. 


	11. Chapter 11

Pulling his knit cap down to cover his ears better, Seb shivered as he walked briskly down the street. He needed a day away from the office, a break from avoiding Kurt. A break from being hyperaware of him.

He was wandering around the downtown area, taking the streets he didn’t know as well for a bit of a change. The cold winds made him walk fast to keep somewhat warm, but eventually, he just grabbed the door of the nearest business and went inside to warm up.

A young, bearded guy behind the counter nodded at him in acknowledgment, but seemed content to leave Seb to his own devices.

Wandering around the small shop, Seb had to be careful not to bump into anything. It was packed full of instruments and sheet music. Electric, bass and acoustic guitars hung along one wall. Keyboards were on multi-tiered stands. He picked up a tambourine, giving it a little shake and smirking towards the clerk.

He had worked his way around the store slowly, thawing out to the point of unzipping his jacket.

“So, are you looking for anything in particular?” Beard guy asked, sitting on a stool with his retro high-tops propped up against the counter. A Rolling Stone magazine was draped across his jean-clad lap.

Seb had nowhere urgent to be, so he leaned a hip against the counter. “Not really. Just feeling a little bored lately. Maybe in the mood to try something new.”

Beard guy closed the magazine and set it aside. “How can I resist such enthusiasm?” He held out his hand. “Elijah.”

“Sebastian.” Shaking his hand, Seb glanced around the shop. “So, do you actually know how to play all these instruments?”

Standing up, Elijah shook his head. “I’m mostly a guitar player. I get by on a handful of others. How about you? Take piano lessons as a kid or anything?”

Seb shrugged. “I was mostly into sports in school. I sang in an a cappella group for a year back then, but that’s really the only formal musical thing I’ve done.”

Raising his eyebrows, Elijah nodded again. “Well, you must have a good ear to sing that way. If you want to try something, a good place to start might be the harp.”

Chuckling, Seb shot him an incredulous look. “Should I wear a halo and white toga that barely covers my ass as I play it?”

Smirking at the comment, Elijah slipped a key into the lock on the glass counter display case, sliding the glass to the side to reach in. He put a rectangular metal item down on the top of the counter. “This is a good one for beginners. It sounds great and isn’t too expensive.”

Seb picked up the harmonica. It seemed quite small in his hand.

“It’s one of those instruments you can just pick up and fool around with, teach yourself. There are tons of online lessons, and you can just carry it around with you easily, play it wherever you go. Abraham Lincoln was even said to keep one in his suit pocket.” Behind his laid-back exterior, there was a passionate musician coming out as Elijah cajoled Seb.

Smirking, Seb pulled out his wallet. “Well, if Honest Abe was down with it…” He laid down his credit card and was soon the proud owner of his first musical instrument. What the hell. Maybe he’d end up playing it ten hours a day and be as good as the blues musician he’d heard the other night with Tom.

\---

Leaving the store, he decided to head back to the hotel to try his new toy out, and was cutting down a back alley. The blizzard was really starting to get going now, the snow blowing around with a stronger wind. He pulled up his collar, walking as fast as he could.

Nearing the street, he slipped on a patch of ice, falling sideways onto an old cardboard box near the base of a building. He swore, scrambling to get back on his feet, and felt the box shifting under him.

An old man, wrapped up with a hat and scarf, poked his head out from below the cardboard, glaring at Seb with a fierce scowl.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I slipped and didn't mean to fall on you." Seb said quickly, backing up and standing.

The man was obviously homeless, looking unwashed and layered with many mismatched pieces of clothing. He nodded at Seb and pulled the cardboard back up to cover him better with a grunt.

Seb shook his head, looking up at the sky, knowing that a big dumping of snow was coming within the next few hours. "Hey man, can I help you get to the shelter or somewhere? There's a blizzard coming."

The man didn't respond, burrowing deeper into his makeshift nest of old, dirty blankets and cardboard.

Turning to go, Seb stopped after taking a few steps. He came back, squatting down. "Come on, buddy. It's really too cold out here. Come to the shelter."

"The shelter is full. Piss off!"

Seb stood up in surprise at the nasty growl, giving the man some space. Shaking his head, he walked away.

It was still so, so cold. The thought of that guy being out all night in it just wouldn't leave his mind. He ducked into a cafe, warming up as he did an internet search on his cellphone. The shelter was only a couple blocks away.

\---

Chaos would best describe the run down warehouse interior, with the shelter's name on a sign outside. Dozens of people were talking and walking around, with staff darting amongst them, looking frazzled.

Seb tried to wave down a staff member several times, but was told to wait his turn. They were already dealing with other people clamoring for their attention.

"They are over-full and short-staffed. You don't stand a chance, honey." An older woman with bright red hair drawled from a chair nearby, her ratty clothing showing that she was a client.

Seb was thankful that anyone was actually talking to him. He just needed some information. "I'm trying to find a bed for the night for a guy a couple blocks from here. It's going to be blizzarding soon."

She shook her head slowly. "There is no way he can stay here. They did the lottery this morning for the drop-in beds and they are completely full now."

"Lottery?" Seb furrowed his brows, trying to hear the woman over the loud voices.

She pointed to a green coffee can on the desk behind the counter. "Anyone who wants a bed for the night has to have their name in by 9 am. They draw names and if your name isn't pulled, you're shit out of luck." She shrugged. "I'm just happy they pulled my name."

Shaking his head, Seb just felt exasperated. "So, they just send people away? Out into the cold?"

"Sometimes, they contact some other agencies and arrange for a church basement or something for the overflow, when it's cold like this. But they are down a few staff, and probably didn't have a chance to organize it." She shrugged again. She obviously had been in the enough system to know it well, and wasn't shocked by it at all.

Seb was shocked though. He walked behind the counter, grabbing the coffee can and seeing ten folded up pieces of paper still in it. Ten guys like the one he had seen in the street, who had tried to get a warm place for the night and failed.

"Hey! What are you doing back here? Get out!" One of the busy staff finally noticed him, a woman a foot shorter than him with her brown hair scraped back into a messy ponytail.

Seb lifted the can, shaking it at her. "We have to do something about this. It's too cold for these guys to be out there."

Her dark eyes glanced over him, quickly taking in his fine clothing and intelligent eyes. She held out her hand. "I'm Clarice."

"Sebastian." He shook the hand of the scrappy woman, surprised at her strength. Small but tough.

"We have three staff away, and can hardly handle things here. It's too late in the day to get a church basement shelter organized." She pushed some hair that escaped her ponytail behind an ear, looking tired.

Seb shook his head. "Look, I'll get these guys into a motel room or something then."

Her eyebrows raised at that. "Well, knock yourself out. You can borrow our van to pick them up if you want." She passed him the keys, and rushed off to break up an argument over some blankets.

Seb just shook his head again, staring at the keys in his hand. _WTF._ He tipped the coffee can upside down, and shoved the papers into his jacket pocket, and went outside. Clicking the unlock button on the key fob, an old, white Minivan blinked back.

Swearing to himself, he got behind the wheel, adjusting the seat back for his long legs, and headed to that back alley.

"Come on, buddy. Get in the van. We'll get you somewhere warm." He shook the old man's shoulder, eager to get back into the heated van.

\---

***THE NEXT DAY***

"George, can I bring something up? It will only take a few minutes." Seb spoke up towards the end of the staff meeting.

His manager nodded, and leaned back in his chair.

Seb cleared his throat, glancing around at his co-workers crowded in the room. "There is a blizzard forecasted for tonight, and I am helping out a little with the local homeless shelter. They are full, and there are still about a dozen men who need a warm place to stay tonight. Does anyone know of a church or community hall that might be available?"

A lot of people looked down, or shifted in their seats. One of the legal assistants raised her hand. "My church may be able to help with that."

Smiling at her, Seb nodded. "Great! I'll come over to your desk after the meeting to see what can be arranged. If anyone else wants to help out, just come by my office today."

He felt relieved that someone had spoken up. Last night he had used his own credit card to book a bunch of motel rooms and order pizza for the group, but it wasn't an ideal situation. Hopefully, by getting things rolling earlier in the day, it would go smoother. He had already contacted the shelter to offer to pick up the lottery losers with the shelters minivan at 3 pm, saving him the trouble of searching for them in the blizzard, like he had last night. His grouchy passenger had guided him to the different places the men could be holed up, and it took ages to gather them all.

As the meeting ended, he noticed Kurt looking his way, a pondering expression on his face.

\---

***THE NEXT DAY***

There was a soft knock on his office door, and Seb called out for the person to come in.

Willow popped her head around the door, giving Seb a little grin. “Am I here too early?” 

Giving her a warm smile back, Seb glanced over to Kurt. “Come on in, Willow. We are almost done here.” He put the papers he had spread out over the desk back into his file. “Kurt, would it be OK if we met up tomorrow morning to go over the rest of this? Willow and I need to leave soon.”

Shaking his head, Kurt collected his own file. “No, no, that’s fine, Sebastian.” He watched as Seb got his coat on. “Where are you two off to?”

Willow was zipping up her own coat, and tying a scarf around her neck. “We need to be down at the homeless shelter by 3 pm. With the weather getting so cold, they didn’t have enough room for everyone who wanted to stay there tonight. We are picking them up at the shelter and getting them over to my church.”

Seb could see her explanation surprised Kurt, but he pulled on her elbow to guide her towards the door. “Sorry for rushing out, but the weather is getting pretty bad out there. We want to get everyone settled indoors before it really hits.” 

He had been caught by Kurt after the morning meeting, and hadn’t been able to get away from having the client meeting with him today. He had tried to keep it professional, not joking and gazing adoringly at Kurt the whole time. Half the meeting, he was glancing at the time on his phone, waiting for Willow to arrive and take him away. It was still really hard to be around Kurt very long. 

Kurt stood up, scooping up his file as he went. “It’s a great thing you are doing. Need any help?”

Before Seb could decline the offer, Willow smiled widely. “Oh Kurt, that would be great!” And before he knew it, everyone was climbing into his car.

 _Fuck, Fuck, Fuck…_ Seb chanted to himself as he drove, trying to not think too much about the last time Kurt was in the car with him. That magical night, the kisses they shared. 

“Sebastian, don’t forget you wanted to stop off at the music store before we go to the shelter.” Willow leaned forward from the back seat, putting a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. 

Shaking his head, Seb felt a little embarrassed. “Ah no, it’s OK. I’ll just go tomorrow.”

Willow slapped his arm lightly. “Don’t be stupid. It’s right there. You can run in and just grab whatever you were going to get. We’re a little early anyways.”

Sighing quietly at his peppy co-worker, Seb pulled over into a parking spot near the music store. “OK, I’ll be quick. You two can stay in here, keep warm.”

But as he shut his car door, he heard the one on the other side closing as well, and glanced up to see Kurt walking around the vehicle towards him. “I love music stores. I’ll come in with you.” He said simply, and entered the store.

This day was just going totally off plan. It seemed like no matter which way he turned, Kurt was just there. Looking incredible, his cheeks rosy with the cold, his blue eyes seeming even larger and bluer. Simply gorgeous. 

Kurt was giving him a curious look, waiting for Seb to buy what he needed. Feeling a little self-conscious, he walked over to a display that was full of cheap toys for kid’s parties. He picked up bags of the brightly colored party favors; bags of small tambourines, kazoos, and noisemakers. He carried the bags to the till, giving Elijah a nod in greeting. 

The young bearded guy rang up the items, putting them into a plastic bag as he went. As he was ringing up the last one, Seb pointed at the glass display case. “Um, and can I also get the Suzuki Ultrabend down there?” 

Raising his eyebrows, Elijah unlocked the display case, and put a hand inside, reaching towards the silver harmonicas. “Which key?” 

“D…” Seb said softly, not even looking Kurt's way as Elijah rang up the pricey item. When he set it down, Seb slipped it into his pocket and paid for everything with his credit card.

He avoided Kurt’s curious looks and rushed back out to the car, hopping into the heated interior. Acting like it was the biting cold that was making him rush. As soon as Kurt was buckled in, he drove the last few blocks to the shelter.

Once parked, Seb was meeting up with Clarice to get the minivan keys, as she pointed out where the men were gathered for them. He was thankful to be busy with getting them into the van, and following Willow’s directions to the church. 

\---

Seb looked around the church basement, feeling good. Willow had worked with the other volunteers from her church to get the cots set up. Everyone was warm, and enjoying the pizzas Seb had ordered for supper. 

It wasn't that late yet, and there wasn't much to do, however.

Walking to the side, Seb tried to be discreet as he went to an older black man who was sewing a button onto his coat. "Hey there." 

His greeting had the older man glancing up curiously. He eyed Seb quickly, and then dropped his attention back to his button. "Hey."

Seb squatted down near him, glad that Kurt and Willow seemed busy with work. "Um, I heard some guys at the shelter mention that you play the harmonica quite well."

His comment got a longer look in response, and a hint of a smile. "Is that right?" The man chuckled softly.

"My name is Sebastian." Swallowing a bit nervously, he held out his hand and was relieved when the man shook it. His skin was a bit scratchy, his grip firm.

"Lester." His voice was deep and a bit scratchy. 

Shrugging to himself, Seb pulled out his new harmonica. "Um, I'm just learning how to play. I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers? Um...I could pay you for giving me a lesson." He pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, flashing it discreetly to the older man. It was the first time he had asked Lester this, after hearing him playing softly to himself the other night.

Lester glanced around, seeing that no one was really paying them any attention, and then nodded. He took the money, slipping it into his pocket and pulling out his own instrument. "OK, show me what you've got."

Glad that everyone was talking and busy with their own stuff, Seb still felt a little self-conscious as he raised the harmonica to play. He had been buying an instrument every day before going to the shelter, and practicing it in his car and the hotel room on his own. With his laptop, he had run through many, many online lessons. This was his first time playing in front of anyone.

He started with an easy piece, playing softly and hesitating occasionally.

"Stop, stop...". Lester held up his hands, chuckling a little. "That was damn awful. Play it loud, son. Be brave." 

He put his own harmonica to his mouth, cupping his hands around it, and made a long haunting noise like a train whistle. It stopped all the conversations and everyone turned to look towards them. 

Lester chuckled, and went into a boisterous solo, the notes zipping faster than Seb thought possible. The older man enjoyed the attention, his eyes gleaming as people turned his way, and started clapping along.

Not wanting to ruin his momentum, Seb pocketed his harp and grabbed the bag from the music store. He started opening up the packages of the cheap kid's instruments, and dumping them out onto a made-up empty cot until a pile was heaped over the blankets. Waving encouraging to the men nearby, he smiled as they shifted through it and selected an item. Pretty soon, everyone in the room was playing along with Lester, cheering him on.

Seb went back to his side, feeling more comfortable playing his harmonica now that it was so loud with all the other instruments. He tried imitating Lester's sounds, getting it right a few notes here and there. Getting a few encouraging nods from the musician occasionally. He was still quite a beginner.

Lester ended the song and started singing, getting everyone to sing along with the chorus.  
  
_I had money in the bank_  
_I got busted, boys, ain't that sad?_  
_Oh, you know, I had some money in the bank_  
_I got busted, baby, ain't that bad?_  
_Well, you know, you can't spend what you ain't got_  
_You can't lose what you ain't never had_  


Some of the others took a turn at a verse, adjusting the words for the pretty girl or others things they had lost, Lester's harmonica supporting their melody. 

Excusing himself later, Seb went to the washroom and as he was washing his hands, Kurt entered. He nodded and continued to the urinals. Seb quickly finished up and left. He had been avoiding Kurt all night, keeping his distance. Trying to not notice how he had pitched in easily to help wherever it was needed, and how he smiled so easily with the men he was talking to as he distributed the pizza and napkins. 

"Sebastian, wait..." Kurt called out, exiting the washroom as Seb was about to go back into the multi-purpose room. They were in an empty hallway that led to the stairs and washrooms. 

Swearing softly to himself, Seb stopped and turned around slowly. Like himself, Kurt had shed his suit jacket and tie, undoing his top few buttons and rolling up his sleeves. He was wearing a periwinkle blue dress shirt with those amazing pinstriped grey pants, and looked incredible. Both items were perfectly fitted to his slim frame, making Seb imagine how wonderful Kurt would look out of them, all sleek muscles and fair skin. He had to keep from groaning at the image.

"Hey, Kurt. Thanks again for helping out tonight." Seb said sincerely. Kurt had been wonderful, never acting put off by the scruffy men or the situation, just making everyone comfortable.

Kurt walked closer, until he was right in front of Seb. His eyes seemed more blue-green in the hallway light, and he looked up at Seb with a small grin. "You know, it's my job to read people for a living. I thought from what I had heard about you that you would be some narcissistic playboy lawyer, only interested in money, power and having fun."

The description really wasn't that far from the truth. Seb dropped his gaze. "Sorry that I lived up to your expectations. I have lived a fairly selfish life."

He was surprised to feel Kurt's hand on his shoulder, and glanced up at him.

Kurt was shaking his head, giving him a warm look. "You didn't let me finish, Sebastian. I was going to say you are nothing like I expected. From the meeting with the client to how you were here tonight, you are really a caring, considerate person, aren't you? Like, how did you come up with the idea of buying all those toy instruments?"

Seb could feel his cheeks heat up a little from Kurt's comments, and he looked down again, struggling to gather his thoughts when Kurt was so close and looking so good. 

How could he explain that he had lived this night already and he had heard a couple of the guys drumming on empty pizza boxes one time? And that he wanted to get Lester to give him an informal lesson after hearing him play another time? 

He shrugged, straightening up. "It was just a whim. I figured the guys would be a little bored hanging around all night in a church basement. I'm just glad they had fun, playing around with the instruments."

Kurt nodded, his eyes moving down from Seb's eyes to his mouth, lingering there.

Seb held his breath, his heart pounding, as Kurt stepped closer. He leaned in, and Seb closed his eyes, hardly daring to believe this was actually happening. Was Kurt Hummel actually going to kiss him in the dingy, dark hallway of a church basement? 

There was a loud noise, and he heard Kurt swear softly, stepping away. "Mrs. Anderson! Let me help you with that." Seb opened his eyes to see Kurt rushing over to help one of the senior church ladies who was carrying a garbage bag and the empty pizza boxes. He leaned against the wall, trying to calm down, still feeling Kurt's warm breath against his lips. That had been so, so close.

By the time Kurt came back from his garbage run, Seb was pulling his coat on. "I'm going to take the van back to the shelter. Willow is getting a ride later with one of her church friends. Do you need a lift?"

"Yes, actually. That would be good. My car is back at the firm." Kurt put his coat on, and tied a red scarf around his neck. Seb just wanted to pull on the ends, drawing him closer to finish what they started in the hall.

\---

It was strange, just the two of them alone in the minivan and then in Seb's car, driving on the quiet city streets. The fresh snow muffled the normal sounds, making it seem like part of a winter wonderland, light sparkling off the snow draped over everything. 

There was a tense silence between them, both so aware what had almost happened back at the church. Seb wondered if it had just been a fleeting impulse on Kurt's side, something he regretted now. He didn't want to push it.

He parked his car beside Kurt's. "Well, thanks again for all your help to-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by Kurt's lips on his. The kiss was hard and enthusiastic, with Kurt shifting closer until he was almost in Sebastian's lap. 

Seb chuckled when they finally broke apart, trying to catch his breath. "That was....um...wow..." He dragged a hand through his hair, and tried to keep from grinning like a complete besotted fool. Kurt had kissed him. Kissed Him. Kissed him First. And they hadn't even been in a date. Seb hadn't even been trying to impress him or anything.

"Yes, it was." Kurt's dimple appeared as he gave a cheeky grin, his hand still dug into the hair on the back of Sebastian's head tugging him forward to kiss him again. This time wasn't as hard, but it was thorough. Seb was groaning at how good it felt, having such a good, deep kiss from the man he had been gaga over for so long.

Seat belts, thick winter coats, and the constraints of being cramped in the front seat of a car in a downtown parking lot soon had them pulling apart, chuckling. "Um...this isn't the best place for doing this..." Seb regretfully admitted, looking down in the dim light at Kurt's kiss-swollen lips and shining eyes, wanting nothing more than hours to just kiss him.

"Tomorrow. Come over for dinner at my place. We'll have red wine and I'll cook my lemon chicken linguini." Kurt said softly. His eyes promised a lot more, and Seb had to stifle a moan at the thought of being in Kurt's place, maybe making out on the sofa after that meal, having hours to kiss and touch and just be with this amazing man.

He kissed Kurt lightly, sweetly, savoring every second of it. "I would love that, Kurt." He meant it. He would give up anything to wake up to tomorrow and be able to have that date with Kurt.

Kurt's returning smile was happy and excited, and it made Seb's heart feel like someone had given it a little squeeze, before it continued thumping hard. He watched as Kurt pulled away, straightening up and running his hands through his hair to make it look normal. "Goodnight, Sebastian." He dropped a quick kiss on his cheek before hopping out of the car.

\---

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: What? What? Two chapters in a week??? Did I shock you all, my dear faithful readers of this fic? :D  
I am feeling inspired and am working on the last two chapters of the fic now... so stay tuned for more chapters coming soon.

-Harp: A slang term for harmonica.

-Homeless Shelter: This part is pure fiction and not based on the real shelters in Boulder. They do hold a daily lottery for the drop-in beds, and there is a winter emergency homeless overflow program that rotates through various community congregations. Thanks to all the amazing workers and volunteers helping the less fortunate out there, especially on the coldest nights.

-Suzuki Ultrabend: A mid-range harmonica that costs around $150. The top harmonicas can be over $3000.

-'You can't lose what you ain't never had': [ A great blues song by Muddy Waters.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Gh2dbPp5o)


	12. Chapter 12

When Seb woke up the next day, back in his own bed, he felt strangely troubled. He checked the date on his phone to be sure, and it still showed February 2nd. Unchanged for months. He would never get to have a second date with Kurt, never get the chance to see where these promising beginnings could lead. He felt helpless against whatever power, whatever glitch of nature was trapping him on this day. It seemed overwhelming, like he was set adrift in a huge ocean with no one around. Never knowing if he would ever reach the shore. 

He looked down at his phone again. Swearing softly to himself, he opened his contacts, and calculated the time difference. It would be around 1 pm there. He dialed before he could think too hard, his heart pounding as it took a while for the overseas connection, and then it started to ring.

“ _Oui, bonjour…”_ The woman who answered sounded rushed and distracted.

It was hard to find the words. “Um… _Maman_ , it’s me.” 

There was an uncomfortably long pause. “Oh, _mon dieu_ , Sebastian. This is a surprise.” Her English was heavily accented, even more than it used to be. 

“I know it’s been a while, but I just really wanted to hear your voice.” It really had been far, far too long since they had talked on the phone. Even longer since they had seen each other.

“Ah, _mon cher,_ I have a meeting in ten minutes. But until then, I am all yours.” He could hear papers being shuffled around.

Seb swallowed hard, his heart sinking. “Um, no, no…I’ll call you later, when you are at home. You sound busy now.” He said his goodbyes, and got off the phone quickly.

\---

“Sorry, but you seem a little distracted. Are you OK?” 

Seb jolted slightly at question, glancing up from his file to find Kurt’s eyes on him, looking concerned. “Um, oh, sorry.”

He made an effort for the rest of the meeting with the client to make notes and ask questions, pushing away his other thoughts. Finally, the client left the office, and he sighed in relief.

“Kurt, I’m sorry about that. I know you don’t know me very well, but I’m not normally so out of it.” He met his eyes, and looked away. It was still a little strange to be around Kurt and just acting normal, trying to not think about the kisses they had shared.

The grey-blue eyes looked him over appraisingly, and Seb could tell he probably saw more than he wanted to reveal. His background was in psychology, and it was his job to read people. “What’s on your mind, Sebastian?”

Seb sighed, looking towards the window at the swirling snowflakes. He glanced back at the attractive man, about to shake his head and make some excuse, but then changed his mind. What did it matter what he said now? Kurt wouldn’t remember it tomorrow. 

“It’s my mother. I called her earlier today, and …” And what? How could he explain it?

Kurt nodded, spinning his office chair to face Seb, his expression encouraging. 

Seb pressed his lips together, sighing. “We have never had the best relationship, and when my father passed away a few years ago, she moved back to Paris.”

“Back to Paris! She’s from there?” Kurt looked interested.

Getting up, Seb dropped his file on the top of his credenza, and leaned against the edge of the desk. “Yes, and her side of the family still lives there. We would go back every summer to visit them when I was a kid. I wasn’t surprised that she moved back.” 

Kurt’s eyebrows raised up a little. “But still, to move away from you…” He shook his head. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No, I’m an only child.” Seb said, feeling a little foolish for bringing it up. “Look, I understand it. My father was a lawyer too, and I always related to him more than my mother. We just didn’t have much in common.”

Kurt got up and leaned against the desk beside Seb. “It sounds a bit like my relationship with my dad. My mother died when I was in elementary school, and it was just the two of us for years. He runs a tire and lube shop, and loves football. We didn’t have a lot in common either.”

It was nice hearing more about Kurt’s background. “So, how did you handle that?” 

“Well, we had to make time for each other. He insisted on having dinner together on Friday nights, and always supported me, even though I was into the arts.” Kurt said softly. “I call him at least once a week now, and go up for a quick weekend visit pretty often.”

Seb looked down at the ground. He would give anything to be able to hop on a plane and visit his mother right now. The last few years he had been working long hours, getting established with the firm, and hadn’t visited her that often. “I can’t do that with her. The distance, the time zone differences…even a bit of a language barrier...it made it challenging to keep in touch. I used to be fairly fluent in French, but it’s pretty rusty now. Her English has never been that strong.”

Kurt nudged him with his shoulder. “Well, maybe that could be a starting point. You could work on your French, and call her more often to practice it. She would be impressed that you are doing that for her, right?” 

Chuckling, Seb looked over at Kurt. “So, I need to find a teacher or something?” 

“Well…,” Kurt gave a little smile that was very charming, pulling Seb in. “I could teach you whenever you are in Boulder.” 

“Now, why would a guy from Ohio be fluent in French?” Seb couldn’t believe that Kurt had offered to teach him. The thought of spending time with him like that would be so wonderful. If only he wasn't stuck in this time loop, and they could actually do that. Get to know each other outside of work, maybe let it grow into something more. 

Kurt gave him a puzzled look. “How did you know I was from there?” 

_Oh shit._ Seb scrambled for a reasonable explanation. “Um, Wyatt or somebody must have mentioned it.”

“Oh, OK. Come on. Let me teach you.” Kurt gave Seb another small smile, and there was no way he could resist that. He nodded.

 _“C’est magnifique! Nous aurons tellement de plaiser._ ” Kurt rattled off, his accent perfect. (That’s magnificent. We will have so much fun). 

Seb’s eyes fell to Kurt’s mouth, trying to understand the words. He caught about half of them, and just shook his head. “Um… _s’il vous plait.. répète ça..."_ (Please, say that again). 

And as Kurt repeated the words, Seb happily stared at his full lips, trying to resist leaning forward to kiss him again.

\---

***SEVEN DAYS LATER***

“Come in.” Seb called out to the knock on his office door, his heart beating a little faster. He needed to do this just right.

Kurt walked in, holding a couple files. Seb waved for him to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk. 

“Sorry, I’ll be with you in just a minute. I just want to watch the end of this scene.” Seb looked up from his laptop to give Kurt an apologetic look.

Tilting his head to the side, Kurt leaned forward a little as he heard a little of the movie Seb was watching. “Is that singing in French?” 

Seb shrugged. “Yes, I’m trying to brush up on the language by taking some lessons and watching videos during my lunch hour.”

Looking intrigued, Kurt got up and came around to Seb’s side of the desk to look down at the laptop. “Oh, this is ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’! I love this musical…it is so romantic and sad.”

Seb tried to seem surprised by the information. “You know it? Here, I’ll start this scene over so you can watch it too.” He clicked to the start of the scene, when the lovely Catherine Deneuve was offering to marry her love secretly, and Nino Castelnuovo telling her that he just got his draft notice and he would have to go away for two years. The blond beauty was begging him not to leave. 

“Oh, I love this part. _J’ai tellement peur quand je suis seule._ ” Kurt sang along softly with the movie. (I am so afraid when I am alone.) 

Seb glanced his way. “ _Nous nous retrouverons et nous serons plus forts._ ” He had seen the movie enough times to know the song well. (We’ll be together again and we’ll be stronger). 

“ _Tu connaotras d’autres femmes. Tu m’oublieras._ ” His voice was soft, but beautiful. (You will meet other women. You’ll forget me.) 

Holding Kurt’s eyes, Seb sang softly. “ _Je t'aimerai jusqu'à la fin de ma vie._ ” His voice caught on the last word. (I will love you until the end of my life). 

They turned back to watch the end of the bittersweet scene, as the young couple slowly walked to the train station, declaring their love but still knowing they had to part. As the train pulled away, the man was softly saying, ‘My love…’ and she was calling out ‘Je t’aime…’, her voice breaking, as the music swelled.

Kurt took a tissue from a box on the desk, and dabbed at his eyes. “Oh, that gets me every time.” 

Seb closed his laptop, and got up to look out the window for a second, collecting himself. His heart was pounding, and he couldn't meet Kurt's eyes yet. He was too overcome with emotions.

Every day, he had Kurt coming to the office for their meeting prep, and Seb had tried different French instructional videos he found online. It always got a good discussion going with Kurt about the language. He usually asked Kurt for help with some words he was having problems with, enjoying the excuse to stare at his mouth as he said tricky phrases over and over. It was almost too much, but he couldn’t resist these little lessons. And his French was getting better, thanks to his handsome teacher.

Today was the first time he had tried using a French musical, and the first one that came to mind was the 1964 classic that he had watched with his mother many, many times. It was one of her favorites.

Watching, and then singing the words with Kurt had been so incredible. Kurt didn’t know how many times they had met, so many repeated days. He didn’t know how well Seb knew him now, how deep his feelings had grown. Seb knew, and he struggled to act normal around him, pushing his feelings down. 

But singing those lyrics to Kurt, _I will love you until the end of my life_ , Seb couldn’t hide from them anymore. They were true. Hopelessly, absolutely true. He was completely, deeply in love with Kurt. With someone who wouldn’t even know him the next morning. It was such a cruel twist of the whole situation.

Sighing, Seb turned back to Kurt, seeing that he was giving him a concerned look. “Um, I’m sorry, Kurt. I’m trying to improve my French because of my mother. She moved back to Paris a few years ago when my father passed away. We haven’t been as close as I’d like since then, so I’ve been calling her and trying to speak the language with her. Trying to make things better.”

Kurt walked over, putting a hand on Seb’s shoulder. “I can tell you miss her. It’s great that you are doing this for her, working on your relationship. I really admire that, Sebastian.” 

Sitting down behind his desk again, Seb took a few deep breaths. He let Kurt think he was a bit emotional because of his mother. It was easier than the truth, which Kurt would never understand. 

\---

 

"Yes, _Maman._ " Seb smiled as his mother nagged him to get his annual physical. "What about you? Are you going to the doctor regularly? You are a lot older than I am." The French rolled off his tongue easily now, with only occasional words hard to remember. 

The elegant, older woman chatted back warmly with Sebastian, and he took a long sip of water, smiling as she told him a story about his aunt. He had found the best time to call was at noon, since it was around 7 pm her time. Every day, his French was getting better, and he asked her questions about the family, her work and about the past. Getting to know her better than he ever had. 

He found a way to apologize for not calling so long and saying he wanted to talk with her more often. She warmed up to him quickly each time, bearing no grudges for the mutual fading of their relationship in recent years. Seeming just as eager to be open and share her life with him. 

"But enough about all of us over here. I hope you are not working so hard these days. I hope you have time for other things too." 

Seb chuckled. "I find time for lots of things, like going to the climbing centre and eating out."

Anne-Valerie scoffed lightly. "I am not talking about that. What about romance? Are you dating anyone special?"

" _Maman!"_ Seb rolled his eyes at the question. "I have dated a lot of men. But the guy I am really interested in is so great. You would get along so well with him. He's into fashion, and musicals. He is even fluent in French and has been helping me with it. He is also really active in social justice issues, in law for the right reasons." 

There was a bit of a pause. "Hmmm...it sounds like you really care about him, Sebastian."

Seb thought about it, and sighed. "I do, but he will never feel that way about me." 

"Why not? You are so handsome and so smart." 

Her automatic defence of him warmed his heart, made him glad he called her. "It is just a bit of an impossible situation. Maybe it's just destiny that I have feelings for him and he'll never know it, never realize how much I care. He could never love me back." 

"Sebastian, I have never heard you talk about anyone like this before. I want you to be happy. So, unless he's married or something like that, you need to find a way. Never, never give up on love." Her voice was full of maternal concern. 

"OK, OK. I have to get back to work now. Love you." He felt a bit choked up. 

"Love you too, _mon cher."_ Her voice was sincere as they made their goodbyes. 

As he hung up, there was a soft knock, making Seb jump a little. He glanced at the clock, surprised it was time for the meeting with Kurt. "Come in." 

Kurt entered and sat down in front of the desk. "Were you just speaking French? I thought I caught a word or two through the door." 

Seb froze at that. _How much had Kurt heard? Had he heard Seb talking about him?_ At least he hadn't used Kurt's name. "Um... Yes. I often call my mother at lunch. She lives in Paris and it's a little after supper for her now." 

They chatted about it, and Seb felt relieved that Kurt treated him like a normal co-worker. He obviously hadn't heard much of the conversation with his mother about Kurt. 

 

\---

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: The writing of this story is flowing well now. I'll post the next chapter soon.

-Love song _‘I Will Wait For You’_ from the amazing French musical, ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ [Train station scene.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Unnx5eLbk)


	13. Chapter 13

Seb woke up to his alarm, like normal. So many times, he wished he could set the damn thing for an earlier time. He had so much to do.

He thought about everything as he showered and got ready for work. He grabbed a hot drink and a muffin from Stacey in the cafe, encouraging her to make him one of her concoctions. 

The office was mostly empty, and he zipped off a dozen emails to the various associates. As a way to avoid Kurt, he often grabbed one of the first or second year associates after the meeting, and had worked his way through the whole team many times. He knew all the firm's cases backwards and forwards, and found it easy to just send them each a vaguely worded email suggesting they check into a certain case before they came to the meeting.

He placed the call to the shelter around 8:30, making sure to tell Clarice he could help out with the guys not picked for the lottery and that he was making arrangements with a church. After so many mornings, he knew just what to say.

Rushing to get into the meeting, he ended up in a chair near the back. He didn't mind, having been to this meeting so, so many times. It was just satisfying hearing George call on the associates and have them mention the cases or strategy he had referred to in his emails to them. They often flicked a grateful glance his way, when George complimented them.

At the end of the meeting, several of the associates crowded around him, thanking him for the emails. "Sarah, I don't deserve any credit for this. I remember you mentioning the case a week or two ago. You just needed reminding." Seb smiled at the bright woman with dark hair and hazel eyes.

He turned to a young Asian man. "Lucas, we can meet later if you want to discuss strategy. I have a couple ideas for you."

As the associates moved away, he was a little embarrassed to see Kurt standing nearby. He had probably heard all of that.

"Kurt Hummel, Jury Selection Consultant." Kurt held out his hand, and Seb shook it. "So, we are working together, I take it. When is the initial client meeting?"

Seb debated if he should duck out of the meeting or not. He knew he should let Kurt handle it on his own, but he gave in to temptation, telling Kurt to be at his office around 2 pm. He'd keep it short, just the client meeting and then get out of there. Most days, it was just too painful to be around Kurt very long.

He could tell Kurt wanted to chat more, but excused himself to go to the washroom. The rest of the morning he worked with Lucas and the other associates, keeping busy and away from his office. 

Around 1 pm, he grabbed a salad from the place next door, and went back to his office for a long chat with his mother on the phone, joking around with her. Getting her telling old stories about his father, and the early days of their marriage. The talk went longer than he expected, losing track of time, when he heard a knock on the door. 

Glancing at the clock, he realized it must be Kurt, and said a quick goodbye to his mother before letting Kurt in. "Sorry about that. I was on the phone."

Kurt just smiled as he settled down on an office chair. "It's OK. The client isn't here yet." He gave Seb a curious look, his head tilted a little to the side. "I could hear that you were laughing and seemed to be talking in French. Was that your boyfriend?"

Seb was surprised at the question, and then realized he probably had sounded quite affectionate in his teasing with his mother, and had probably ended the call by saying the French equivalent of "love you" before hanging up. "Um, no... it was my mother in Paris."

He was saved from further explanation by the client arriving, and welcomed her warmly, getting her a cup of coffee. 

As the meeting went on, he could feel Kurt's eyes on him often. It was a bit distracting, but he tried to show no reaction, just keeping the client talking.

As soon as the client left, Seb was closing his file. "Sorry, Kurt, but I have a personal matter I need to go out of the office for now. Is it OK if we meet tomorrow morning to discuss the case?" He was already pulling his coat on, and felt relieved when Kurt gathered up his paperwork.

"Yes, that's fine, Sebastian. I look forward to it." He walked down the hallway with Seb. "So, where are you rushing off to?" His blue eyes were definitely curious.

Seb gave him a quick grin, seeing Willow already waiting for him near the elevators. He stopped, not wanting Kurt too close to Willow in case she invited him to come to the church again. "Oh, Willow and I are just helping out at the homeless shelter. Talk to you later."

He rushed off, avoiding more questions, but when he glanced back at Kurt while they waited for the elevator, he could still see Kurt looking his way.

\---

His phone rang, and Seb stepped into the church hallway to hear better as he answered the call from an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hi there. Is this Sebastian Smythe?" The voice sounded vaguely familiar. After being in this town so long, it was no surprise. He'd probably spent a hour with almost everyone by now.

"Yup, that's me."

"This is Elijah, you know, from the music store."

Seb matched the voice with the memory of his face. The young beard guy. "Oh yeah. How'd you get my number?"

Elijah chuckled. "It's a bit of a strange story. A friend of mine is playing a gig tonight and is short a guy. I thought of you, since you seemed to know your stuff when you were buying your harmonica earlier. Are you any good?"

Shrugging to himself, Seb still found this whole conversation strange. "I do OK, I guess. But I still don't get how you know my name, or knew to call me."

Chuckling, Elijah seemed pretty amused by it. "Boulder is a pretty small city, and it feels like everyone knows everyone sometimes. I was talking about you with my girlfriend, and she recognized you from my description. She works in the cafe in your building, apparently."

"Um...Stacey, right?" Seb laughed, marvelling at the coincidence.

"Yeah!" Elijah replied enthusiastically. "Anyways, my friend's band is playing at the Frozen Dead Guy ball tonight. They could really use you. But if you can't make it, that's OK too. This is such short notice."

This whole thing was just crazy. "Um...yeah...What the Fuck. I'll give it a go, but no promises that I'll be any good or anything." 

Seb loved when spontaneous adventures popped up in his mundane day like this, relishing any changes. He had jammed with Lester and the homeless guys so many nights, getting impromptu lessons as he went, that he felt reasonably confident he could riff on whatever the band played. 

"That's so awesome, man." Elijah gushed. "I'll text you my friend's contact details."

"Sweet. I'll be done here in about an hour."

\---

Seb laughed as he pulled on the dark green velvet bowler hat and looked in the mirror. "Do I really need to wear all this?" He was wearing a black eye mask that had swirly cutouts along the edge, the hat, and a multi-colored scarf was being wrapped around his neck a few times. He had stripped down to his sleeveless undershirt, and was still in the dark grey suit pants. It was a pretty crazy ensemble.

"You have to fit in with the band, Sebastian. Come on, this is a festival! Everyone acts a bit nuts here." The guitar player, Jennifer, cajoled, as she adjusted the scarf. She had Day of the Dead make-up on her face, white base with black covering her whole eye sockets, and hearts and flowers brightly drawn over the rest of her face. Her dark hair was in a messy bun and a big fake red flower was pinned near one ear. Her flowing bohemian dress completed the look.

Brian, the lead singer, just smirked at Seb's complaints, putting on a necklace of large teeth around his neck and a black top hat, his waist-length dreads hanging down his back. He was wearing a boldly striped suit that reminded Seb a little of Beetlejuice. What Seb was wearing was mild in comparison.

There was time for a few tequila shots before they headed onstage, discussing the set list. Seb felt relieved that he knew the songs well enough, or at least could improvise along. The shots helped with his last minute nerves.

Before he knew it, they were climbing onto a makeshift stage in a large, heated party tent, and the drummer got started on The Doors' song, "Roadhouse Blues". The lead singer had a raspy voice that suited the song, and Seb felt he covered the harmonica part pretty well. 

The crowd was appreciative, clapping and cheering after each song and filling the dance floor. There was a song with no harmonica part, and he sipped from a water bottle as he relaxed and surveyed the scene. It was totally crazy that he was playing in a band. He shook his head at how quickly things could change sometimes. This was so fun. He'd have to find a way to give Elijah his business card every day to make it even easier for him to do this again.

Watching the dancers, he suddenly froze. He would recognize those shoulder shimmies and that ass anywhere. _What the hell was Kurt doing here, without him?_

Looking at who he was dancing with, he recognized most of the group as associates from the firm. They were all in their twenties still, and unmarried. No wonder they had roped Kurt into joining them tonight. It was good they were including the freelance consultant in their outing.

For all his grumbling earlier, Seb was glad to have the costume on now so they wouldn't recognize him. He was free to play his harmonica loud and proud. 

Seb groaned when he heard the band starting to play an old 80's pop song next, and dutifully played the harmonica part. Brian did a great impression of Boy George, swinging his dreadlocks as he sang. 

_Didn't you hear your wicked words every day_  
_And you used to be so sweet I heard you say_  
_That my love was an addiction_  
_When we cling, our love is strong_  
_When you go, you're gone forever_  
_You string along, you string along..._

The set ended, and they got a great reaction from the audience. The band members were really pleased, and they all patted Seb's back or arm as they moved to the backstage area, wordlessly thanking him for his contribution. He was feeling great, still buzzed by performing.

He toweled his face off, but found the water bottles to be room temperature when he really wanted cold ones. 

Jennifer hooked her arm through his. "Come on, let's get some drinks at the bar." She didn't give him a chance to slip off the costume or argue with her, dragging him back out into the tent. For a slim woman, she was surprisingly strong.

Seb let her pull him along, in too good a mood to resist. He was going with the flow tonight, taking the opportunities that arose. So far they had been great. 

Sipping a big cold bottle of water, Seb chuckled to himself as men approached Jennifer, trying various flirty lines, and she shot them down with the ease of long practice. 

The work group drifted by and Sarah stopped. "Hey, just wanted to say you guys were awesome up there." 

Jennifer thanked her, and they got chatting. Seb tried to follow the conversation, but his attention kept being drawn to Kurt, looking a little drunk and a bit warm from dancing. Gorgeous. 

Someone bumped against Seb's back in the crowd, making him lurch forward, trying not to fall. Kurt grabbed his upper arm, bracing him, the touch on his bare skin sending a zing along his nerves. 

He felt a tug at the back of his head, and realized that Jennifer had undone the ribbon on his mask, as it slipped down his face. He scrambled to put it back on, but it was too late.

"Sebastian!" Kurt said loudly with a surprised gasp. "That was you onstage, you playing the harmonica?" His blue eyes were just staring at him, shocked. 

Knowing it was useless to bother with the mask anymore, Seb placed it on the bar and gave Kurt a rueful smile. "Ah, yeah. The band was short a player and a guy at the music store recommended me to fill in. It's my first time playing with them."

Sarah overheard this, and patted Seb's arm. "Sheesh, brilliant in law and a great musician too? What can't you do?" She gave him a fond look.

The other associates crowded around him, buying more rounds of shots and complimenting his playing. Seb only had water, since he needed to drive home in a little while. He enjoyed watching the rest of his workgroup getting drunk though, joking with them all easily.

He had kept up his schedule of working with the various lawyers in his firm, discussing legal cases and getting to know their personal history. He had come to know them all so well. They were his family now. 

Jennifer had remained with him, drinking with his friends and casually flirting with a couple of the guys. She nudged Seb with her shoulder, turning her head to speak into his ear. "You like Kurt, don't you? You keep watching him."

Seb bit his lip, not thinking his little glances would be so noticeable. But Kurt looked too good, drinking and laughing with everyone. His eyes kept being drawn to him. "Yeah." He admitted to Jennifer quietly. "Do you think anyone else noticed?" He meant if Kurt had, really.

Her big light blue eyes gave him a warm, considering glance. "He looks at you a lot too. He's interested. You should ask him to dance, get him away from the group."

Seb flicked his eyes at Kurt, and luckily timed it right, catching him looking his way. Could it be true? "I don't know, Jennifer. He just sees me as a co-worker, a friend." He got up, putting some cash on the bar to cover everyone's drinks, and said goodnight. He just needed to get away.

Stopping backstage, he left the costume items Jennifer had lent him on her guitar case, and got back into his shirt and coat. It had been hours since the shots he had before going onstage, and he knew he was safe to drive now.

Going out to the parking lot, he was surprised to see someone leaning against his car. Kurt. 

"Um...Hi...?" He clicked his key fob to unlock the doors. "Do you need a ride, Kurt?"

Kurt nodded, and got into the car. "Thanks, Sebastian. I realized I had a little too much to drink. Can you drive me home?"

Seb felt a thrill at the thought of getting to see where Kurt lived, learning a little bit more about him, filling in a few more blanks. "Oh, yeah...no problem at all."

Following the directions as Kurt gave them, Seb found himself in a pretty section of the city he hadn't explored before. It was on a slight hill, overlooking the city lights, and Seb was sure the mountain views would be spectacular during the day. 

"Do you need help getting inside?" Seb asked as he watched Kurt fumbling when he was undoing his seatbelt. He must have enjoyed his fair share of the shots. 

Kurt finally undid the belt, and grinned at Seb, his eyes a little unfocused. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I feel wobbly."

Coming around the car, Seb wrapped an arm around Kurt's slim waist, walking beside him into the building. They waited for the elevator, and Seb felt very aware of the attractive man draped against his side. 

Kurt managed to unlock his door, and turned to Seb. "Come in for a bit. Don't rush off."

Seb was unable to resist the request, and followed Kurt inside. It was an upscale condo, with clean lines and big windows. The decor was simple and modern, with splashes of bold colors occasionally breaking up the dark grey and other neutrals. 

Kurt grabbed a couple bottles of water from a stainless steel fridge, and waved Seb into the living room, sinking onto a black leather sofa. He pressed a button on a remote control, and the nearby fireplace whooshed as a fire started, natural gas feeding the flames. The fireplace was surrounded by dark grey slate, the edges rough, giving a bit of rustic charm to the modern decor. 

Seb sat on the other end of the sofa. This was almost too good to be true. How had this happened? How was he suddenly alone with Kurt in his condo, gazing into a fire? It was a scenario he had dreamed of being in with Kurt since the first day they met. 

Kurt shifted closer, turning towards Seb and tucking one leg under his other knee. He had shucked off his suit jacket, and his periwinkle dress shirt was a bit rumpled from his long day. He looked relaxed and happy.

"You know, people warned me about you, Sebastian Smythe. I was all prepared to meet some sleaze-bag lawyer, some playboy-type just in it for the money and prestige, sleeping with any somewhat good looking guy on Grindr." Kurt said, his eyes looking big in the firelight. 

Seb sighed. It was the worst part of living this day over and over again. Seeing people look at him, their guards up a little, before he was able to work on them. It was rewarding seeing them warm to him eventually, but having to face it daily made him realize how shallow he had been before. He had been the guy Kurt was describing. He never wanted to be that man again.

The months and months of this time loop had changed him. It made it clear how lonely he was before, how shallow he was. He was good at his job but didn't have many deep relationships. He fucked strangers and rarely saw them a second time. He ate out with business colleagues, and got along fine on a superficial level. But never let anyone in. No one ever pushed him to get in, anyways.

Was he simply unlovable? Incapable of having any deep relationships? Even his own mother had moved thousands of miles away from him, her only child. Would anyone even miss him if he was gone?

He was pulled out of his morose thoughts by Kurt snuggling against his side. "But you are so much more than that, aren't you? Are they all blind? I've been watching you all day and you are incredible. I couldn't keep my eyes off you. You are a great lawyer, but I can see how all the associates adore you. They were all talking about how you quietly helped them with their work, never asking for any credit for the time you put into stopping by their desk or shooting them an email. You also make time in your busy schedule to keep in touch with your mother and help out the needy."

Seb stared at Kurt, shocked at his words and the way he was looking at him. Pure admiration and heat was there. He never thought he'd see Kurt looking at him like that, like he really liked him. Genuinely thought he was a good person. He knew Kurt so, so well now...and to have this incredible man saying such beautiful things was almost too much. 

"Um...thanks, Kurt. That's so sweet of you to say all that." He got out, feeling a bit exposed. Raw. "It's probably just the alcohol though. Skewing your views of me. You'll probably see me acting like an asshole at work tomorrow and realize everyone was actually right about me." Seb chuckled, trying to lighten things up.

Kurt shook his head, his expression defiant. "No way. It's my job to watch people, read them, and I know you, Sebastian Smythe. Know the real you. You are a good man."

Chuckling again, Seb leaned forward to put his empty water bottle on the coffee table. "OK, OK...whatever you say, Kurt."

He leaned back and was shocked when Kurt crawled over him, putting a knee on either side of his legs and looking down at his upturned, surprised face. "And then I find out you are the hot, gorgeous musician I had been drooling over your whole set? That totally blew my mind, Sebastian. I just wanted to do this all night." 

Before Seb could ask what, Kurt was kissing him, deep, hungry kisses. Passionate kisses. He groaned, his hands coming up to Kurt's back, pulling him in even closer, relishing the feel of his warm, pliant body pressing against his. Kurt's hands were in his hair, tugging his head back to kiss him just the way he wanted, his tongue teasing along Seb's that made a zing of pure desire tingle down his body.

"Fuck, Kurt..." Seb managed to gasp as Kurt kissed down his neck. Kisses alternated with little nips against his skin, and Seb moaned, feeling completely aroused. He panted when Kurt shifted even closer, feeling that Kurt was in the same state. He ran his hands down Kurt's warm back, and let them finally cup that incredible ass, tugging him even closer into his heat. 

Kurt moaned at that, a ragged, needy noise, rocking against Seb. He was so delicious, so perfect. This was even better than how Seb had imagined this moment would be. Kurt, so passionate and hot, so eager. This was a dream come true.

But it didn't feel quite right. 

Seb stilled, and then moved his hands up to Kurt's back, soothing motions instead of pulling him in closer. It took a few moments before Kurt noticed that Seb had quieted down, that he wasn't responding to the kisses on his neck as much. 

Kurt pulled back, appearing confused as his big eyes roamed over Seb's face, searching for answers. 

He looked just how Seb had wanted him to. Rumpled, his hair a mess, his eyes big and dark, his lips kiss swollen. Aroused and wanting Seb. It just made it even harder to explain, to stop.

"You are incredible, Kurt, and I want you so, so much. You have no idea how much. But you've been drinking, and I don't want you regretting anything when you wake up tomorrow." Seb said softly, smoothing down Kurt's messed up hair. 

It was the hardest thing he had ever done, stopping. As incredible as it had been, he knew this wasn't the way Kurt normally acted. Knew he would regret it the next day, no matter how good the sex was. 

Seb had no way of knowing what happened to every day he repeated. Did they start a new timeline, continuing in some dimension with the choices and experiences he set in motion? Was there going to exist a timeline of Kurt waking up tomorrow and regretting tonight? Working together and forever feeling awkward for a night of tequila shots and passion?

Maybe it was like that, or maybe it just blipped out of existence, being written over by the repeating day. Who knew?

Seb would probably wake up in his own bed, still repeating the day over and over, never getting to be like this with Kurt again. Never having another chance for hot, wild, no holds barred sex with him. Probably calling himself a fool every day for a million years for not taking this opportunity, right now.

"Sebastian....I am not that drunk. I know what I want, and I want you." Kurt said stubbornly, and dipped his head down to kiss Seb again, trying to tempt him into hot, deep kisses again.

Seb was tempted, but resisted, just running his hand soothingly against Kurt's back, not kissing him back. 

Eventually, Kurt slumped against him in defeat, tucking his face against Seb's neck. They both cooled down, their breathing returning to normal. Seb savored holding Kurt close, feeling his warmth, smelling the mix of his cologne with a bit of sweat from when he was dancing earlier. Soaking in every sensation he could. 

He shifted Kurt to be against his side, and gave him a small smile. "I'd like to date you, Kurt. Take it slow and really get to know each other. Would you let me take you out for dinner this weekend? I want to spoil you, show you how incredible I think you are."

He let this fantasy live on, acting like he wasn't stuck in his time loop. Dreaming of how great it would be to take Kurt out to the best restaurant in town on Saturday. To talk and laugh for hours over a delicious meal, maybe reaching across the table to hold hands. Showing him with date after date how much he loved Kurt, adored him. Hoping with time that Kurt could someday love him back.

Kurt snuggled into his side. "I'd like that, Sebastian."

Seb smiled widely at the response, bending down to kiss Kurt, feeling so happy. "Great. Well, I better get going. We have to be at work in a few hours."

He stood up and Kurt came with him, still holding his hand. "Don't go, Seb. Stay."

Looking down into his amazing blue eyes, Seb found himself nodding in agreement. He really should go, but he couldn't resist continuing this amazing night. Soon enough he would be waking up in his damn hotel room. 

They got ready for bed, washing their faces and brushing their teeth. In the dark bedroom, they stripped down to their underwear before slipping under the covers.

To feel Kurt tucked against his side, falling asleep in his arms, was the sweetest experience Seb had ever had. He stayed awake as long as he could, pressing tiny kisses into Kurt's thick hair and wanting to shout out how much he loved this man. He listened to his breathing, felt his warm body shifting as he slept, and stroked a soothing hand over the silky skin of his back. This was surely Heaven, and he never wanted it to end. But eventually sleep pulled him under. Pulled him away.

\---

The sound of birds chirping woke Seb up, and he blinked at the bright sunlight hitting his face. He felt completely disoriented. 

The bed shifted and an arm stretched over him, fumbling around on the bedside table and the bird sounds stopped. "Ten more minutes...," a scratchy voice mumbled, and a warm body snuggled against his side. 

Seb's eyes sprang open, looking around the strange bedroom and down at the messy brown hair of the man lying against his bare chest. This wasn't his hotel room. This wasn't his bed. This wasn't... 

Reaching over to the nightstand, he snatched up his cellphone and looked at the home screen, like he had every morning for so many months. And blinked a few times, looking again at the date displayed there. February 3rd. 

There was the sound of a chuckle, and he glanced down to see Kurt smirking at him. "You have the goofiest expression on your face right now. Do you always look like that when you wake up?" He shifted upwards, leaning in to kiss Seb lightly, his eyes glowing. 

Seb's smile was probably even goofier after the kiss. "Hmmm...I don't know. You'll just have to wake up with me every day to research that." He tugged Kurt closer, wrapping him in a tight hug and kissing him firmly. He kissed his way along his stubbly jaw and nuzzled into his ear, just wanting to be closer. Kissing along his neck. 

"Mmmm Sebastian, that feels amazing. Why weren't you like this last night? I was practically throwing myself at you." Kurt laughed, arching against Seb in response to his caresses. 

Seb nibbled at Kurt's neck, chuckling a little when he heard him gasp. Kurt was so responsive, so sexy. "Well, maybe I don't put out on the first date." 

Kurt moved back to give Seb a long kiss. "Oh, is that how it is with you? I need to wait until the third date? In that case, we better go out tonight so we can fuck after dinner tomorrow. I don't think I can last much longer than that." 

"You just met me yesterday!" Seb pointed out, even though he had known Kurt so, so much longer. 

Kurt looked down into Seb's green eyes, his expression serious now. "It's crazy, Sebastian, I'm not normally like this. Really. But I have such a good feeling about you...about us. It's like I've known you longer or something. It's like this is meant to be." 

Seb's heart was thumping at those words, coming from the man he loved so much. "I completely agree, Kurt. It feels like I've known you forever. I've never felt like this about anyone before." 

Kurt kissed him slowly, sweetly, the minutes just floating away. 

Eventually the bird chirping started up again, getting louder and louder. 

Laughing, Kurt pulled away and grabbed his phone, clicking the alarm off. "Well, we better get up and dressed. We have to go back to your place to get you a change of clothes and all that." 

Seb agreed and watched as Kurt stretched and got out of the bed. He looked amazing, naked except for his black boxer briefs, the front impressively tented out. 

Kurt noticed the heated look Seb was giving him, and posed cheekily, running his hands down his chest. "You could join me in the shower, if you want..." 

Shaking his head, Seb rolled out of bed. "Quit trying to seduce me, Mr. Hummel. You'll see me naked tomorrow night at the end of our third date, and not a second before that." 

He saw the way Kurt was looking him over, his eyes hungry as they took in his abs, long legs, and the condition in his own briefs, and came very close to accepting Kurt's offer. It would be amazing to see Kurt all wet in the shower, running soapy hands over every inch of his body. 

But this feeling of anticipation was just too good. With a smirk, he spun on his heel, and could feel Kurt was staring at his ass as he walked out of the bedroom. "Have your shower while I make breakfast. I make amazing omelets, so come hungry." 

He heard Kurt groan, and then the slam of the bathroom door. 

Not that much later, he was dropping Kurt off at the office with a quick kiss. "See you later." 

"Come by my office when you get back." Kurt said softly, resting his forehead against Seb's. 

Seb was going to rush to the hotel to shower and change, before coming back to work. "Ok, I'll bring you a latte." 

Kurt grinned. "Mmmm, yes please." He stole another quick kiss. "And would it be too presumptuous if I asked you to check out of your hotel and stay at my place all weekend?" 

Swallowing hard at the lump in his throat, Seb shook his head. That meant sleeping in Kurt's bed for two more nights. Two nights of this man in his arms. Pure Heaven. "No, not presumptuous at all." He stole a kiss back, never getting enough of this delicious man. 

He watched as Kurt walked into the office building, still pinching himself. He was out of the time loop and was going to spend the whole weekend with the man he loved. Had he ever been happier than he was right here, right now? No, he didn't think so. 

Sitting there on the side of the road, it really hit him. He was finally on the next day. He had first met Kurt about this time the very first February 2nd, and he had been repeating and repeating the day over and over until he finally got it right. What had he done differently? Was it one thing or a combination of things? 

Thinking now of the future that was possible with Kurt that never would have been with the 'old' Sebastian, he was so, so thankful that he had been stuck in that loop. He would do everything he could to be worthy of that precious gift of time, and do his best to love and care for Kurt to the best of his ability, no matter what the future would bring. 

\--- 

-Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-A/N: Well, thanks everyone for reading this fic and being so supportive and patient! I left you poor readers stuck in limbo like poor Seb for months and months! 

-To make it up to you, I'll be doing another story covering their weekend. It will probably be fluffy and sweet. So watch for it. I already have a few drafts of the first chapters done.

The Doors 'Roadhouse Blues': [Video here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xzFWm9uXJo) This is a live version, played with blues great, John Lee Hooker. Music starts about 1 minute in. 

The 80s pop song they play in the set is the pop hit 'Karma Chameleon' by The Culture Club. [Video here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw)


End file.
